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OR, 


Reminiscences  of  Pioneer  Life 


BIOGKAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 


BY 

REV.  ELNATHAN   CORRINGTON   GAVITT, 

Member   of  the  Centra1  Ohio   Conference. 


TOLEDO,  OHIO  : 

HI. ADR  PRINTING  AND  PAPBR  CO. 

1884. 


QZfS" 


Entered  according  to  Act  of   Congress,  in  the  year  1884, 

By  ELNATHAN  CORRIMGTON  GAVITT, 

in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


INDEX 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE. 

Introduction,  or  Personal  Experience. .  ...  1 

CHAPTER  II. 
Pioneers  of  the  West — Social   Relations — Pleasant  Re- 
flections   - -..        3-5 

CHAPTER  III. 
John  Wesley's  first  Visit  to  America,  and  his  Sabbath 

School  Enterprise _. 6-9 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Introduction  of  Methodism  in  America,  and  by  whom.     10-11 

CHAPTER  V. 
First  Methodist  Conference  in  America — The  Stereo- 
typed Style  of  Preaching— Mr.  Griffith's  Reply 12-16 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Introduction  of  Methodism  in  Ohio,  and  First  Itinerant 

Minister 17-18 

CHAPTER  VII. 
First  Methodist   Conference  in   Ohio — Names  of  the 
Ministers  by  District — List  of  Bishops  who   have 
Passed  to  Their  Reward— Also  of  Pioneer  Clergy..     19-23 


vm  INDEX. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Ohio  and  Brief  History  of  its  Commencement 24-25 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Indians  and  Moravian  Missionaries  and  the  Williamson 

Massacre 26-34 

CHAPTER  X. 
Dangers  and  Difficulties  of  the  Early  Pioneers 35-39 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Early  Settlement  of  Granville 40-44 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Church    Peculiarities — The    First    Methodist    Meeting 

House 45-55 

CHAPTER  XIII.  , 

Early  Consecration 56-58 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
My  First  Attempt  to  Preach. 59-61 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Calvinism  and  Early  Controversy 62-65 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Church  Relation 66-69 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
Mysterious  Leadings  of  Providence — Incidents  on  the 

way  to  Detroit — My  First  Circuit  in  Michigan 70-89 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Michigan  as  a  Territory — Lights  and  Shades  of  Michi- 
gan— Romantic  Circumstance — My  First  Attempt 
in  Matrimonial  Affairs — Parental    Affection — Sad 
and  Solemn  Scene — Remarkable  Answer  to  Prayer  90-102 


INDEX.  IX 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
Returning    to    Ohio— Holmes    Circuit — Millersburg — 
Early  Inhabitants — Extent   of  my  Labors — Intro- 
duction of  Methodism  in  Akron,  Ohio — Conference 
Relation 101-107 

CHAPTER  XX. 

First  Appointment  in  Conference — Minutes  at  Grafton 
— Names  of  the  Subscribers — Methodism  inOberlin 
— Impromptu  Reply— Dancing  Hall  in  Dover — Pas- 
tor's Salary — Ringlets  and  Early  Superstition  as  to 
Dress  and  Personal  Appearance— Matrimonial  Life.108-133 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
Wyandotte  Mission— Upper  Sandusky — Commencement 
of  the    Mission — Mission  Church  and   Location — 
Bishop    and    Young    Missionaries — First    Convert 
Among  the  Indians. 134-148 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
Wyandotte  and  Fort  Findlay  Mission— My  Usual  Mode 
of  Crossing  Rivers — An  Eccentric  Landlord — Fort 
McArthur— First  Visit  to  the  Indian  Mission  in 
Michigan  Territory — Last  Visit  to  the  Indian  Mis- 
sion in  Canada— Rev.  James  B.  Finley  and  Thomas 
Thompson.. 149-171 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
Monroe,  Michigan — Favorable    Results   in    Answer  to 

Prayer 172-179 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
Methodism  in  What  is  Now  Toledo — The  Commence- 
ment of  Methodism  in  Toledo  Proper  . 180-183 


X  INDEX. 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
First  Sermon  Preached  in  Toledo— Growth  of  Method- 
ism in  Toledo — Itinerant  Ministers  Who  Have  Died 
— Amusing  Report  of  a  Minister 184-192 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
Wyandotte  Mission  on  Huron  River,  Michigan— Cause 
for  Indian  Troubles — As  to  these  Indian  Troubles — 
Inconveniences  of  a  Missionary  Life 193-200 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
Mississippi  and  Missionary  Work — Our  Passage  Down 
the  Ohio  and   Up  the  Mississippi — Extent  of  My 
Labors — Returning  to  Ohio   and    Conference — Re- 
turning Home  to  Rock  Island.. 201-218 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
Banditti  of  Northern  Illinois — Murder  of  Miller  and 
Liecy,  His  Son-in-Law — Jeremiah  Strawn  and  the 
Minister — Murder  of  Col.  Davenport — Narvoe  and 
My  Experiences  There — The  Tavern  and  What  Oc- 
curred—Providential Relief — Methodism  at  an  Ear- 
ly Day — Ned  Forgron,  the  Blacksmith  and  the 
Methodist  Minister — Conversion  of  a  Traveling 
Companion — One  of  Peter  Tuttle's  Converts 219-254 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
Returning  to  Ohio — Wooster  Circuit  North  Ohio  Con- 
ference— Presiding  Elder  of  Lima  District — Report 
of  Domestic  Missions— An  Incident  of   Moral  Im- 


INDEX.  XI 

proveruent — Report  of  Delphos  Mission — Mysterious 
Conversion  of  an  Infidel  and  a  York  State  Yankee 
— Changes  in  Church  Economy — Embarassments 
in  Early  Ministry — Closing  Remarks 255-291 

SUPPLEMENT. 
Giving  a  list  of  those  who  helped  to  constitute  Dela- 
ware   Conference  —  Honored     Dead    Members   of 
Delaware  and  Central  Ohio  Conference  —  List  of 
Deceased  Ministers'  Wives 292-296 

ADDITIONAL  ITEMS  OF  INTEREST. 
With  Honored  Respect— Early  Event— Lakeside .297-298 


PREFACE. 


At  the  session  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference,  at 
Lima,  Ohio,  September  17th,  1879,  the  following 
resolution  offered  b}r  Rev.  Leroy  A.  Belt,  D.  D.,  Pre- 
siding Elder  of  the  Toledo  District,  was  unanimously 
adopted : 

Hesolved,  That  we  request  Rev.  Elnathan  C. 
Gavitt  to  preach  a  semi-Centennial  sermon  at  the 
next  session  of  the  Conference;  and  that  the  ap- 
pointment be  made  the  order  of  the  day  at  half- 
past  ten  o'clock  on  Friday  of  our  session. 

In  compliance  with  this  request,  at  the  ensuing 
Conference,  held  at  Yan  Wert,  O.,  Sept.  8th,  1880, 
the  author  of  these  biographical  sketches  preached 
his  semi-Centennial  sermon  in  the  presence  of  the 


PREFACE. 

Bishop,  members  of  the  Conference,  and  a  large 
and  interested  congregation.  The  sermon  was  so 
well  received  that  the  Conference  requested  its 
publication.  Having  also  been  frequently  requested 
by  the  ministers  and  the  laity  of  the  Conferences  to 
Avhich  I  have  belonged  to  furnish  a  more  extended 
narrative  of  my  life  and  labors  as  an  itinerant  min- 
ister of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Ohio> 
Michigan  and  the  Northwestern  Territory,  but  hav- 
ing deferred  this  through  modesty  until  this  late  pe- 
riod in  my  life,  it  has  now  been  something  more  than 
an  ordinary  task.  However,  with  a  desire  to  gratify 
the  wishes  of  my  friends,  1  have  gathered  up  the 
crumbs  or  material  which  has  been  accumulating  for 
many  years,  and  now  present  the  result  of  my  labor 
to  the  public  in  as  complete  a  form  as  my  circum- 
stances will  admit,  and  trust  this  work  may  be  read 
with  a  degree  of  interest  by  some,  if  not  all. 

And  I  now  most  respectfully  submit  this  volume 
of  biographical  sketches  and  reminiscences  of  pion- 
eer life  to  my  brethren  in  the  Central  Ohio  Confer- 


PREFACE. 

ence,  and  others  who  have  been  more  or  less  ac- 
quainted with  me  and  my  long  continued  ministry 
for  more  than  sixty  years. 

Elnathan  Corrington  Gavitt, 
Member  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference^ 
Toledo,  Ohio,  1884. 


Blade  Printing  and  Paper  Company,  154  &  156  St.  Clair  Street,  Toledo,  O. 


CHAPTER  I. 


INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS. 


There  are  but  few  ministers  now  living  who  have 
been  more  minutely  identified  with  the  rise  and  pros- 
perity of  Northwestern  Ohio,  the  Maumee  Yalley, 
and  the  Michigan  Territory,  than  myself — it  now 
being  more  than  half  a  century  since  I  first  entered 
this  new  and  uncultivated  field  of  labor,  when  Mich- 
igan was  a  Territory,  the  Northwest  a  wilderness, 
and  Methodism  in  its  infancy.  I  have  some  knowl- 
edge of  what  was  required  of  the  pioneer  clergy 
when  there  were  no  well  defined  roads  in  passing 
from  one  settlement  to  another,  being  required  to 
follow  Indian  trails  or  blazed  trees  along  the  routes 
made  by  Indian  warfare.  There  was  not  a  bridge 
or  a  ferry  over  any  of  the  large  streams  between 
Upper  Sandusky  and  Detroit,  and  all  these  rivers  had 
to  be  crossed  by  swimming,  or  occasionally  getting 
an  Indian  to  take  us  across  some  of  the  larger  streams 
in  his  canoe,  when  we  had  the  means  to  pay  for  the 
luxury  of  not  getting  wet  or  immersing  our  saddle- 
bags, which   contained   our   library  and  wardrobe. 

CO 


Z  CRUMBS    FROM    MY    SADDLE    BAGS. 

However,  we  were  not  always  sure  of  a  safe  passage. 
On  one  occasion  I  proposed  to  pay  an  Indian  one 
dollar,  providing  he  would  take  me  across  the  Huron 
river,  in  Michigan,  without  emptying  me  into  the 
stream  or  drowning  my  horse.  He  smiled  at  the 
idea,  and  said,  "  I  take  you  safely  over  much,  or  you 
pay  me  no  money."  The  horse  was  led  into  the  river 
to  swim  along-side  of  the  canoe,  and  all  went  well  until 
we  reached  about  the  middle  of  the  stream,  when  my 
horse  took  it  into  his  head  riding  would  be  more  con- 
venient than  swimming.  Making  a  desperate  effort  to 
come  on  board,  he  knocked  the  poor  Indian  over- 
board, and  I  found  myself  hanging  on  the  stern  of 
the  canoe,  my  clothes  and  books  well  saturated  with 
water.  The  Indian  being  a  good  swimmer,  our  craft 
was  soon  righted  up  and  all  on  board,  and  my  horse 
standing  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  stream  waiting 
my  arrival.  Suffice  it  to  say,  there  was  no  deduction 
in  the  fare,  and  I  was  thankful  the  Indian  had  em- 
barked without  his  tomahawk  or  scalping  knife,  or 
I  could  not  say  what  might  have  happened,  as  he 
was  much  enraged,  and  the  morals  of  my  pony  were 
somewhat  affected  by  the  profanity  which  he  re- 
ceived from  the  Indian  in  his  broken  French  and 
English. 


CHAPTER  II. 


PIONEERS  OF  THE  WEST. 


Much  has  been  said  and  written  upon  this  subject 
by  orators,  poets  and  historians.  However,  I  pro- 
pose to  speak  from  my  own  personal  observations, 
instead  of  historical  productions.  The  early  settle- 
ment of  Michigan  and  Northwestern  Ohio  was  not 
commenced  without  trials,  difficulties  and  depriva- 
tions. The  early  emigrants,  penetrating  an  unbroken 
wilderness  without  roads,  bridges  or  ferries,  were  ex- 
posed to  the  wild  beasts  of  the  forest  and  the  savage 
barbarities  of  an  uncivilized  race.  But,  regardless  of 
all  these  difficulties,  nobly  did  they  go  forth  to  fell 
the  forest  and  clear  the  way  for  those  who  should 
follow.  And  it  is  with  pleasure  I  refer  to  the  noble 
spirit  and  the  genial  hospitality  manifested  among 
these  pioneers,  and  their  readiness  to  minister  to  the 
sick  or  those  who  were  in  more  limited  circumstances 
than  themselves. 

I  refer  especially  to  their  social  gatherings,  the 
log-rolling,  house-raising  and  corn-husking,  where 
work  was  dispatched  with  a  will  and  good  feelings 

(3) 


4  CRUMBS    FROM    MY    SADDLE    BAGS. 

prevailed.  Meanwhile  their  noble  wives  and  daugh- 
ters at  the  house  preparing  the  simple  repast ;  and 
when  the  work  of  the  day  was  ended,  at  the  sound 
of  the  horn  all  assembled  and  seated  themselves 
around  the  long  puncheon  table  and  partook  of  their 
deer  or  bear  meat,  corn  bread  or  hominy,  and  as  a  sub- 
stitute for  tea  or  coffee,  some  parched  corn  meal,  spice 
bush  bark  or  sassafras,  well  sweetened  with  maple 
sugar  or  wild  honey.  Supper  being  ended,  they  spent 
an  hour  or  two  in  recounting  the  incidents  of  pioneer 
life,  their  adventures  with  bears,  wolves,  or  Indian 
depredations  ;  or  some  marvelous  tale  as  to  the  large 
hollow  sycamore  tree  which  they  had  discovered 
during  their  hunting  expeditions,  so  full  of  bears, 
coons  and  other  wild  animals  that  every  time  they 
breathed  the  tree  would  open  and  shut ;  or  some- 
thing still  more  wonderful  to  amuse  the  crowd  and 
excite  laughter,  or  perhaps  instead  of  this,  clearing 
away  the  table  and  seating  themselves  around  the 
room  upon  their  few  splint-bottom  chairs,  stools  or 
benches,  they  would  listen  to  a  sermon  from  some 
pioneer  itinerant  minister  passing  through  the  coun- 
try hunting  up  these  new  settlements,  and  preaching 
the  gospel  to  his  strange  hearers. 

PLEASANT    REFLECTIONS. 

When  I  contemplate  the  past,  I  must  say  these 
were  among  the  brightest  days,  and  the  most  enjoy- 


PIONEEKS    OF    THE    WEST.  O 

able  privileges  of  my  early  itinerancy.  It  is  true,  a 
minister's  salary  was  small,  but  his  temporal  wants 
were  few,  and  he  learned  to  economize  and  live  with- 
in his  means.  The  small  compensation  which  was  at 
that  day  allowed  was  easily  raised,  as  the  members 
of  the  church  were  required  to  pay  only  twenty-five 
cents  each  as  quarterage,  which  would  be  but  one 
dollar  a  year.  Some,  however,  were  too  poor  to  pay 
even  this ;  and  all  were  cheerfully  exonerated,  pro- 
viding they  kept  on  hand  a  good  supply  of  yellow- 
legged  chickens. 

At  these  rural  homes  the  writer  was  always  made 
welcome  and  his  message  kindly  received,  and  no- 
where has  the  Gospel  been  more  cordially  embraced 
or  more  duly  appreciated  than  by  the  inhabitants  of 
these  newly  settled  communities.  Many  of  these 
honored  ones  have  long  since  passed  away,  and  the 
voice  of  prayer  and  praise  is  no  longer  heard  from 
them  in  their  wilderness  homes.  Their  mortal  bodies 
have  mingled  with  the  dust  of  these  beautiful  val- 
leys, and  their  immortal  spirits  have  ascended  to  a 
brighter  sphere  and  a  more  genial  clime.  Peace  be 
to  their  honored  memories. 


CHAPTER  III. 

john  wesley's  first  visit  to  America. 

Preparing  this  work  as  a  Methodist  minister  for 
publication,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  author 
would  refer  to  the  early  history  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  regardless  of  all  other  historical 
productions,  however  elaborate  or  otherwise.  Mr. 
Wesley's  first  visit  to  America,  in  1735,  as  a  mission- 
ary to  Georgia,  was  not  as  promising  as  he  could 
have  wished,  and  yet  it  was  by  no  means  a  failure.  In 
the  order  of  Divine  Providence,  he  was  led  to  estab- 
lish an  institution  of  biblical  instruction,  the  influ- 
ence of  which  was  to  extend  to  the  whole  civilized 
world. 

It  has  been  supposed  the  institution  of  the  Sabbath 
schools  originated  with  Robert  Raikes  in  1784 ;  and 
hence  he  has  been  considered  the  father  and  founder 
of  this  scheme.  Without  detracting  from  his  merits, 
which  were  eminent,  we  are  disposed  to  show  that  a 
Sabbath  school  had  been  established  in  Savannah, 
Georgia,  more  than  fifty  vears  before  the  one  estab- 
lished  by  Robert  Raikes  in    Gloucester,  England. 

(6) 


john  wesley's  first  visit  to  America.  7 

Among  those  who  accompanied  General  Oglethorpe 
on  his  second  voyage  to  Georgia  were  Revs.  John 
and  Charles  Wesley,  and  in  company  with  them  Mr. 
B.  Ingham  and  Charles  Delamotte.  They  came  to 
Georgia  for  the  double  purpose  of  advancing  the 
spiritual  interest  of  the  colony  and  the  conversion  of 
the  Indians  of  Georgia. 

Mr.  Delamotte  was  not  a  clergyman,  but  a  well 
educated  layman,  who,  in  company  with  John  Wes- 
ley, established  a  school  of  some  thirty  or  forty 
children  at  Savannah,  and  the  following  account  of 
their  week  day  and  Sunday  instruction  is  taken  from 
a  letter  written  by  Mr.  Wesley,  and  was  sent  by  Mr. 
Ingraham  on  the  26th  day  of  January,  1737,  to  the 
associates  of  Rev.  Dr.  Bray,  in  London,  who  had  sent 
a  parochial  library  to  Savannah.  "  The  young  gentle- 
man," says  Mr.  Wesley,  "  who  came  with  me,  teaches 
between  thirty  and  forty  children  to  read,  write, 
and  cast  accounts,  before  school  in  the  morning ;  and 
after  school  in  the  afternoon  he  catechises  the 
lower  class,  and  endeavors  to  fix  some  things  in 
their  minds  and  understandings.  In  the  evening  he 
instructs  the  larger  children.  On  Saturda}^  in  the 
afternoon  I  catechise  them  all.  The  same  I  do  on 
Sunday  before  the  evening  service,  and  in  the  Church 
immediately  after  the  second  lesson."  Another  letter 
gives  the  same  account  of  this  school  and  the  manner 
of  conducting  it  by  Mr.   Delamotte.     Before  public 


8  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

worship  in  the  afternoon  of  the  Lord's  day  he  cate- 
chises the  lower  class,  and  endeavors  to  impress  upon 
their  minds  what  was  said  by  the  minister,  and  in 
the  morning  he  instructs  the  larger  children  before 
entering  the  public  worship.  This  was  certainly  a 
prototype  of  a  modern  Sabbath  School. 

When  Mr.  Wesley  returned  to  England  Mr.  Dela- 
motte  remained,  and  on  the  arrival  of  Whitfield  in 
May,  1737,  received  him  at  the  parsonage  and  wel- 
comed him  to  Georgia.  In  the  ship  in  which  Mr. 
Whitfield  came,  the  "  Whittaker,"  Mr.  Delamotte  re- 
turned to  England,  and  such  was  the  esteem  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Savannah  they  accompanied  him  to 
the  water  side  to  bid  him  adieu  and  speed  him  with 
their  heartfelt  wishes. 

More  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago  the 
newly  settled  village  of  Savannah,  then  hardly  known 
beyond  its  own  limits,  was  blessed  with  a  good 
Sabbath  School,  and  a  competent  superintendent  and 
teacher.  The  benign  influence  of  this  first  school? 
established  either  in  Europe  or  America,  has  not  only 
been  felt  by  the  inhabitants  of  Savannah,  but  has 
spread  far  and  wide  over  the  civilized  world. 

It  has  accomplished  much  in  all  Protestant  and 
Christian  nations,  in  the  conversion  and  salvation  of 
the  young,  and  under  the  present  economy  of  the 
Church  will  continue  to  mold  the  hearts  and  minds 
of  the  youth  and  rising  generation. 


john  wesley's  first  visit  to  America.  9 

The  little  leaven  which  was  made  a  saving  power 
in  John  Wesley's  time  has  grown  into  large  dimen- 
sions and  become  a  strong  arm  of  power  for  the 
advancement  of  God's  kingdom.  The  Chautauqua, 
Lakeside,  and  other  moral  and  religious  institutions, 
will  bear  decided  evidence  of  the  vital  importance 
of  Sabbath  School  instruction.  The  hundreds  and 
thousands  who  have  been  awakened  and  converted 
through  this  instrumentality  will  have  much  to  do 
in  the  perpetuation  of  the  Church.  The  first  Sabbath 
School  under  Robert  Raikes'  plan  in  America  was 
established  in  New  York  in  1815.  But  this  was 
conducted  more  like  a  day  school  than  anything  else. 
It  lacked  the  moral  and  religious  influence  of  a  well 
conducted  Sabbath  School  on  the  Lord's  day.  Lessons 
in  reading  and  writing  are  appropriate  in  their  place. 
The  object  of  a  Sunday  School  should  be  to  impress 
the  youthful  mind  with  God's  holy  word,  and  when 
this  is  indelibly  stamped  upon  the  heart  and  mind  in 
youth,  it  is  not  easily  effaced  in  old  age.  After  a 
period  of  sixty  years  the  Bible  truths  committed  to 
memory  in  the  Sabbath  School  have  been  a  help  to 
me  in  my  ministry,  and  I  am  still  inclined  to  believe 
more  good  would  be  accomplished  if  children  were 
encouraged  to  commit  the  Bible  to  memory. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

INTRODUCTION    OF    METHODISM    IN    AMERICA. 

In  1760  Philip  Embury,  a  Methodist  local  minister, 
with  a  few  others  of  his  own  relatives,  emigrated 
from  Ireland  and  settled  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
and  during  the  fall  of  1765  Mr.  Embury  formed  the 
first  class  and  established  the  first  Methodist  Church 
in  America. 

This  being  composed  of  himself,  wife,  and  Mrs. 
Barbary  Heck.  From  this  small  beginning  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  commenced  its  aggress- 
ive work  in  the  United  States  of  America. 

But  like  all  other  new  church  enterprises,  it  had 
to  undergo  the  scrutiny  and  prejudice  of  other  re- 
ligious denominations  of  a  much  longer  standing  and 
with  Calvinistic  propensities.  However,  in  the  Prov- 
idence of  God,  a  better  day  and  a  brighter  sun  has 
dawned  upon  the  Church,  and  Methodism  is  now  ad- 
mired for  its  liberal  principles  and  for  what  it  has 
accomplished  during  the  last  half  century  in  the 
amelioration  of  human  society  and  in  spreading 
Scriptural    holiness    over    this    world.     Methodism 

commenced  its  magnificent  career  in  America  under 

(10) 


INTRODUCTION    OF    METHODISM    IN    AMERICA.  11 

the  most  unfavorable  circumstances,  without  wealth, 
honor  or  position  ;  its  membership  of  the  poorer 
class,  and  a  ministry  principally  uneducated.  It  is 
true  they  were  men  of  sterling  wTorth  and  had  faith  in 
God.  Their  sermons  were  not  studied  manuscripts, 
but  the  eloquence  of  clear  heads  and  warm  hearts. 
They  carried  civilization  in  their  saddle  bags  and 
prepared  their  sermons  on  horseback,  and  planted 
Methodism  in  the  wilderness  before  the  crack  of  the 
Indian's  rifle  had  ceased  or  the  light  of  his  wigwam 
had  expired. 

Mr.  "Wesle}T  never  suggested  a  wiser  plan  in  the 
economy  of  Methodism  than  the  itinerancy,  the 
policy  of  which  was  to  introduce  the  Gospel  into  all 
lands  and  to  all  classes  of  human  beings.  And  this 
grand  and  glorious  system  of  the  early  itinerancy  in 
the  United  States  of  America  has  had  much  to  do  in 
making  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  what  it  is 
at  this  present  day,  with  a  membership  not  far  from 
four  million,  according  to  the  Church  statistics,  and 
under  God  is  calculated  to  accomplish  much  more, 
until  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  become  the  king- 
doms of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ. 


CHAPTEK  V. 

FIRST    METHODIST   CONFERENCE    IN    AMERICA. 

The  first  Methodist  Conference  in  America  was 
held,  in  Philadelphia,  June,  1773,  composed  of  the 
following  members,  with  their  severel  charges : — 

New  York,  Thomas  Rankin ;  Philadelphia,  George 
Shadford;  New  Jersey,  John  King  and  William 
Waters ;  Baltimore,  Francis  Asbury,  Robert  Straw- 
bridge,  Abraham  Whitworth,  Joseph  Yearbrey  and 
Richard  Wright ;  Pittsburg,  Robert  Williams. 

In  1774  the  entire  membership  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States  of  America 
only  consisted  of  one  thousand  one  hundred  and  sixty 
members.  It  appears  from  the  minutes  of  this  first 
Conference  that  the  ministers  were  to  change  with 
each  other  every  four  or  six  months.  The  cause  for 
such  frequent  changes  is  not  stated.  But  let  that  be 
as  it  may,  whether  it  was  for  the  sake  of  a  variety 
as  to  the  ministry  or  membership,  it  produced  an 
unfavorable  impression,  and  the  well  established 
churches  with  their  settled  pastorate  attributed  the 
novelty  of  such  a  policy  to  the  want  of  capacity  to 
sustain  themselves  more  than  four  or  six  months  in 

(12) 


FIRST  METHODIST  CONFERENCE  IN  AMERICA.  13 

any  charge.  Hence  it  has  been  said  the  early  itin- 
erants had  but  few  sermons,  and  one  of  these  would 
last  the  minister  a  whole  round  on  his  circuit;  and 
from  this  unfavorable  impression  the  story  was 
started  of  the  brother  who  commenced  at  his  first 
appointment  with  the  text,  "  Simon's  wife's  mother 
lay  sick  of  a  fever" — Mark  i.,  30,  he  having 
preached  from  these  words  all  around  on  his  charge. 
There  were  fears  on  the  part  of  the  membership  the 
brother  might  continue  to  preach  the  same  sermon 
on  his  second  round.  A  good  brother  took  the  lib- 
erty of  visiting  his  pastor ;  in  so  doing  he  asked  the 
brother  if  he  had  heard  the  sad  news.  "  What 
news?"  said  the  preacher.  "Peter's  wife's  mother 
is  dead ;  and  as  there  is  some  feeling  in  our  neigh- 
borhood in  consequence  of  this  old  Methodist  sister's 
death,  and  Peter's  propensity  to  deny  everything,  I 
have  come  to  see  if  you  would  preach  the  funeral 
sermon  of  Peter's  wife's  mother  next  Sabbath  at  our 
place." 

I  remember  a  controversy  in  Conference  at  an 
early  day  in  which  it  was  stated  if  there  were  more 
stations  and  less  large  circuits  we  would  have  a  much 
more  intelligent  ministry,  as  there  was  a  superior 
excellency  in  the  matter  and  manner  of  a  stationed 
minister  who  has  time  to  prepare  his  sermons.  This 
statement  appeared  to  have  the  effect  of  stirring  the 
spirit  of  some  of  the  older  members  of  the  Confer- 


14         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

ence.  And  as  this  may  be  of  some  interest  to  my 
aged  brethren  who  have  in  former  days  heard  such 
animadversions,  I  will  give  the  reply  of  an  aged 
brother,  which  was  so  appropriate  I  recorded  the 
substance  of  his  remarks  in  my  diary. 

Said  Mr.  Griffith,  of  the  Baltimore  Conference : 
"I  wish  to  say  a  few  things  which  I  feel  it  to  be  my 
duty  as  to  myself  and  the  aged  ministry,  and  also  in 
regard  to  the  departed  dead." 

Allusion  has  been  made  to  the  style  and  preaching 
of  our  forefathers,  and  their  preaching  has  been  put 
in  contrast  with  the  splendid  and  popular  style  of 
the  present  day.  He  could  not  stand  by  and  hear 
the  memory  of  the  dead  so  slightly  spoken  of.  As  to 
style,  variety  of  matter,  effect  and  power,  there  is  no 
comparison  at  all  in  the  preaching  of  the  present 
age  and  that  of  the  past.  He  felt  that  he  was  not  in 
the  midst  of  his  generation.  That  race  of  his  hon- 
ored brethren  had  principally  passed  away.  A  few 
of  his  contemporaries  were  left  standing,  like  the 
sturdy  oak,  to  tell  where  once  stood  the  mighty 
forest.  And  these  were  the  men  who  entered  the 
wild  wilderness  and  planted  Methodism  broadcast 
among  the  early  pioneers  in  their  log  cabins  before 
many  of  you  were  born. 

We  are  told  these  men  had  but  thirty  or  forty 
stereotyped  sermons,  and  this  comprised  their  whole 
stock,  and  with  these  they   trotted  from  place  to 


FIRST  METHODIST  CONFERENCE  IN  AMERICA.  15 

place  to  repeat  them.  If  this  was  the  case,  how  did 
they  manage  to  set  the  world  on  fire  ?  How  did 
they  accomplish  the  upheaving  of  society  and  revo- 
lutionizing the  habits  of  the  people  ?  He  belonged  to 
the  class  of  pioneer  preachers,  and  he  honestly  said 
before  God  that,  although  he  had  traveled  for  forty 
years,  he  had  never  preached  the  same  sermon  twice. 
He  had  preached  from  the  same  text,  but  never 
preached  twice  the  same  sermon.  The  preachers  of 
those  days  were  men  chosen  of  God,  and  they  thun- 
dered and  lightened,  and  shook  the  earth  and  the 
hearts  of  the  people.  He  had  seen  the  power  of 
God  manifested  under  their  ministry,  when  five 
thousand  rose  to  their  feet  at  the  eloquence  and 
power  of  these  preachers,  and  rushed  forward  and  fell 
like  men  slain  in  battle.  Stereotyped  preachers  we 
are  told  !  They  were  men  of  intellectual  power  and 
real  genius,  sanctified  of  God,  and  one  of  them  would 
shake  twenty  of  your  Doctors  of  Divinity  as  easily 
as  the  lion  shakes  the  dew  drops  from  his  mane  in 
the  morning  sun.  Talk  about  stereotyped  preaching ! 
Look  at  such  men  as  Lee,  Wells,  McCaskey,  Roszel, 
and  more  than  fifty  others  I  might  mention.  And 
who  would  wish  to  throw  a  cloud  over  their  honored 
memory  ?  The  Church  owes  them  a  lasting  debt  of 
gratitude,  which  it  will  never  be  able  to  pay.  He 
had  traveled  forty  years,  and  when  he  first  joined 
the  Baltimore  Conference  it  extended  up  the  Susque- 


16  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

hannah  to  the  line  of  the  State  of  ISTew  York,  from 
thence  to  the  Miami  of  Lake  Erie,  from  thence  to  the 
headwaters  of  the  Muskingum,  thence  down  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Ohio,  thence  down  the  Ohio  to  Big 
Sandy,  thence  to  the  Alleghany  Mountains,  down  to 
French  Broad,  thence  to  the  Blue  Ridge,  thence  to 
the  Rappahannock,  and  thence  to  the  Chesapeake 
Bay — an  Empire.  He  had  traveled  circuits  five 
hundred  miles  round,  and  had  preached  thirty  times 
a  week ;  and  yet  we  are  told  these  ministers  had  but 
little  to  do,  only  to  ride  around  through  the  country 
visiting  the  people  and  preach  their  stereotyped  ser- 
mons. Now  I  consider  all  such  remarks  unbecoming, 
both  as  to  the  living  and  the  dead,  and  you  must 
take  them  all  back,  or  my  father  in  heaven  will  not 
forgive  you." 

Perhaps  there  is  not  that  respect  paid  to  the  aged 
ministry  even  at  this  day  that  there  should  be,  in 
view  of  the  hardships  and  the  sacrifices  which  they 
have  made  in  planting  Methodism  in  Ohio  when  the 
country  was  new  and  the  membership  few  and  far 
between.  May  it  never  be  said  that  the  superanuated 
minister,  his  wife  or  children,  have  been  neglected  by 
the  Church. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

INTRODUCTION    OF    METHODISM    IN    OHIO. 

Methodism  was  first  introduced  in  Ohio  in  1791. 
This  was  before  Ohio  had  become  a  State,  and  at  this 
time  was  called  the  Northwestern  Territory.  Emi- 
gration had  commenced,  and  the  territory  was  rapidly 
tilling-  up  with  a  population  from  the  Eastern  States, 
so  that  in  1T98  there  were  about  five  thousand  inhab- 
itants in  the  territory,  and  Ohio  had  become  an 
important  field  for  missionary  or  Methodist  economy, 
and  was  included  in  a  district  of  some  five  other 
appointments,  the  most  of  which  were  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  were  presided  over  by  Amos  G.  Thomson, 
presiding  elder,  and  William  McLenahan,  missionary. 
It  is  not  to  be  supposed  this  brother  was  able  to  reach 
all  the  new  settlements,  but  such  appointments  as 
were  adjacent  to  the  Ohio  river,  and  the  Pennsyl- 
vania line,  as  Pittsburg  appears  to  have  been  the 
headquarters  for  the  pastor  and  the  presiding  elder. 
Mr.  McLenahan's  ministry  was  not  only  acceptable, 
but  quite  successful,  returning  to  Conference  a  mem- 
bership of  three  hundred  and  fifty,  which  was  a 
favorable  beginning  for  such  a  new  work,  and  noth- 
2  (17) 


18  CRUMIJS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

ing  short  of  the  love  of  God  and  the  good  of  souls 
could  have  prompted  him  at  that  early  day  to  travel 
over  such  a  new  country  principally  inhabited  with 
Indians  and  wild  beasts,  with  but  a  scattered  mem- 
bership to  provide  for  his  temporal  wants,  which  at 
best  must  have  been  of  the  plainest  fare.  But  such  was 
the  grand  and  noble  spirit  of  the  early  itinerancy 
which  laid  the  foundation  for  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  what  is  now  the  great  State  of  Ohio. 


CHAPTER  VH. 

THE  FIRST  METHODIST  CONFERENCE  IN  OHIO. 

Ohio  for  many  years  had  been  supplied  with  min- 
isters from  the  Eastern  Conferences  until  the  Western 
Conference  had  been  formed  in  1802,  and  was  there- 
after supplied  from  this  Conference  until  the  Ohio 
Conference  was  constituted  in  1812,  at  Chillicothe. 
The  Ohio  Conference  included  a  large  and  extensive 
territory,  extending  into  Pennsylvania,  Western  Vir- 
ginia, all  of  Kentucky,  and  a  part  of  Indiana,  with 
six  districts.     Supplied  as  follows : — 

Ohio  District.— Jacob  Young,  Presiding  Elder.  Shenango, 
"James  Watts;  Brie,  John  Graham;  Trumbull,  James  M'Mahan; 
Grand  River,  John  M'Mahan;  andRobert  Hatton;  Beaver,  Jacob 
Gorwell;  Barnsville,  Archibald  McLlroy;  Cross  Creek,  Abel  Rob- 
inson and  William  Knox;  West  Wlieeling,  James  B.  Finley. 

Muskingum  District. — David  Young,  Presiding  Elder.  Quy- 
andotte,  Samuel  Brown;  Letart  Falls,  John  Brown;  Little  Kan- 
awah,  Samuel  West;  Fairfield,  William  Lambden;  Zanesville, 
John  Clingan;  Knox,  Michael  Ellis;  Tuscarawas,  John  Sumer- 
ville;  Marietta,  Isaac  Quinn  and  Joseph  Spahr. 

Scioto  District. — James  Quinn, Presiding  Elder.  Deer  Creek, 
Samuel  Parker  and  Alexander  Cummins ;  Pickaway,  Moses 
Trader;  Delaware,   Daniel  Davisson;  Paint  Creek,  Isaac  Pavey 

(19) 


2<>  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

and  Thomas   J,  Crock  well  ;  Brush  Creek,  Robert  W.  Finley; 
fcioto,  Ralph  Lotspeich ;  Salt  Creek,  Charles  Waddee. 

Miami  District. — Solomon  Langden,  Presiding  Elder.  Cin- 
cinnati, William  Burke;  Little  Miami,  Samuel  Heliums;  Law- 
rencebnrg,  William  Dixon:  Mad  River,  Joseph  Tateman;  IVhite 
Water,  John  Strange;  Oxford,  Moses  Crume;  Union,  Benjamin 
Lakin;   White  Oak,  Walter  Griffith  and  Reuben  Rowe. 

Kentucky  District.— John  Sale,  Presiding  Elder.  Licking, 
Thomas  Heliums;  Lexington,  William  Pattison  and  Thomas  D. 
Porter;  Hinkstone,  William  M'Mahan;  Big  Sandy,  Jonathan 
Stamper;  Little  Sandy,  Marcus  Lindsey;  Fleming,  Joseph  Ogles- 
by;  Limestone,  John  Collins  and  Benjamin  Rhoten. 

Salt  River  District. — James  Ward,  Presiding  Elder.  Dan- 
ville, Henry  McDaniel;  Cumberland,  John  Cord;  Madison,  Dan- 
iel Fraley;  Salt  River,  Matthew  Nelson  and  John  Dew;  Jefferson, 
Elijah  McDaniel  and  Presley  Morris;  Silver  Creek,  Thomas  Nel- 
son; Shelby,  Charles  Holiday. 

This  was  a  year  of  unusual  prosperity,  returning  to 
Conference  a  membership  of  22,733  \vhites,561  colored. 
Ohio  is  now  divided  into  five  Conferences — Ohio, 
Cincinnati,  North  Ohio,  Central  Ohio  and  East  Ohio, 
with  a  membership  of  176,295.  Such  has  the  march 
of  the  Church  and  the  triumph  of  the  Gospel  from 
the  day  this  Conference  was  organized  in  1S12  to 
1883.  It  was  the  pleasure  of  God's  ancient  people 
to  speak  of  what  the  Lord  had  done  for  them  during 
the  forty  years  of  their  journey  through  the  wilder- 
ness. And  who  can  help  from  admiring  the  spirit  of 
our  forefathers  who  sacrificed  their  property,  their 


FIKST  METHODIST  CONFERENCE  IN  OHIO.  21 

lives  and  their  all,  for  the  good  of  their  country,  and 
the  advancement  of  religion.  Ancient  Greece  boasted 
of  a  Demosthenes,  and  of  a  Socrates  ;  Rome  delighted 
to  tell  the  story  of  a  Caesar  and  a  Cicero,  and  may 
we  not  speak  with  profound  respect  of  such  men  as 
Thomas  Coke,  Francis  Asbury,  Eichard  Whatcoat, 
William  McKendree,  Enoch  George,  Robert  R. 
Roberts,  Joshua  Soule,  Elijah  Hedding,  James  O. 
Andrew,  John  Emery,  Beverly  Waugh,  Thomas  A. 
Morris,  Leonidas  L.  Hamline,  Edmund  S.  Janes,  Levi 
Scott,  Matthew  Simpson,  Osmon  C.  Baker,  Edward 
R.  Ames,  Francis  Burns,  Davis  W.  Clark,  Edward 
Thomson,  Calvin  Kingsley,  John  W.  Roberts,  Gilbert 
Haven,  Jesse  T.  Peck,  Erastus  O.  Haven.  These  were 
the  leaders  and  the  honored  bishops  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  who  have  finished  their  work,  and 
have  entered  upon  their  reward  on  high.  And  it  is 
with  pleasure  that  I  record  their  names  and  their 
noble  worth,  having  been  personally  acquainted  with 
all  of  them,  save  Thomas  Coke  and  Richard  Whatcoat. 
And  it  is  with  pleasure  that  I  call  to  mind  the 
names  of  a  few  of  the  Ohio  Conference  of  1812,  and 
one  of  whom  signed  my  first  license  to  preach. 
David  Young,  James  B.  Finley,  Michael  Ellis,  James 
Quinn,  Jacob  Young,  Charles  Waddell,  James  Mc- 
Mahan,  Samuel  Parker,  William  Griffith,  John  Col- 
lins. These  were  precious  brethren,  and  were  vir- 
tually the  patriarchs  of Methodism,  and  always  speak- 


23  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

ing  words  of  kindness  and  encouragement  to  the 
}roung  itinerant  commencing  in  the  ministry.  They 
were  personal  friends  to  me  during  their  lifetime. 
But  they,  like  others,  have  entered  the  better  land. 
And  I  would  not  fail  to  speak  words  of  kindness  of 
my  early  associates  in  the  Michigan  Territory  :  Zarah 
Costen,  Arza  Brown,  William  T.  Snow,  Benjamin 
Cooper,  George  W.  "Walker,  Elias  Pattee,  John  A. 
Baughman,  but  they  are  no  more  ;  and  a  long  list  of 
names  of  noble  worth  of  departed  ones  with  whom 
I  labored,  side  by  side,  in  the  North  Ohio  Confer- 
ence— precious  brethren  who  laid  down  their  lives 
for  the  good  of  others  : 

Thomas  Barkdull,  Samuel  M.  Beatty,  Eichard 
Biggs,  John  Blampied,  William  Boggs,  Horatio  Brad- 
ley, S.  L.  Yourtee,  George  W.  Breckenridge,  John 
Brice,  Jacob  A.  Brown,  Jacob  T.  Caples,  Wesley  C. 
Clark,  Henry  C.  Close,  Daniel  M.  Conant,  William 
Conant,  John  S.  Cutler,  James  S.  DeLeal,  William  B. 
Disbro,  Hubart  G.  Dubois,  R  P.  Duvall,  James  El- 
liott, Mansfield  French,  Patrick  G.  Goocle,  Leonard 
B.  Gurley,  John  Hazzard,  Leonard  Hill,  Ira  M. 
Hickcock,  Jacob  M.  Holmes,  John  S.  Kalb,  Daniel 
Lambert,  Ebenezer  Lend sey,  William  S.  Luut,  Frank- 
lin Marriott,  James  M'Mahan,  John  Mitchell,  James 
M.  Morrow,  John  A.  Mudge,  W.  Brock,  David  W. 
Ocker,  Hugh  L.  Parish,  Thomas  Parker,  Adam  Poe, 
John  H.   Power,   Elnathan  Raymond,  William  B. 


FIRST  METHODIST  CONFERENCE  IN  OHIO.  23 

Scannell,  J.  F.  Kennedy,  Silas  D.  Seraore,  Hiram  M. 
Shaffer,  Samuel  P.  Shaw,  Henry  O.  Sheldon,  Charles 
Thomas,  Lafayette  Ward,  Philip  Wareham,  Jesse 
Warner,  Lorenzo  Warner,  James  Wheeler,  Edward 
Williams,  Thomas  H.  Wilson,  P.  S.  Donelson,  Thomas 
Thompson,  Bishop  Edward  Thomson,  all  of  precious 
memory.  Never  did  the  moral  or  the  political  firm- 
ament glow  with  clearer  colors.  Never  was  the  his- 
torian's page  decorated  with  brighter  gems  than 
were  exhibited  in  the  lives  and  characters  of  those 
honored  men  who  consecrated  themselves  to  God 
and  the  interest  of  His  cause,  and  laid  down  their 
lives  for  the  good  of  others.  And  may  the  noble 
work  wrought  by  these  men  grow  in  the  future  as 
in  the  past,  until  the  influence  of  the  Church  and  her 
ministry  is  felt  in  every  land  and  upon  every  sea ; 
and,  like  the  rainbow  above  retiring  clouds,  may 
the  Gospel  with  its  saving  influence  reflect  from  one 
corner  of  the  earth  to  the  other  the  glories  of  a 
Millennial  Sun. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

OHIO  AND  ITS  COMMENCEMENT. 

This  being  the  standpoint  from  which  I  am  to 
commence  my  reminiscences  as  to  my  life  and  labors, 
I  propose  to  say  a  few  things  as  to  Ohio  and  its  early 
settlement.  This  section  of  the  country  was  claimed 
by  both  the  French  and  the  English  Governments  as 
early  as  in  1073,  and  the  controversy  between  these 
two  European  powers  as  to  the  Xorth  western  Terri- 
tory was  not  settled  until  the  treaty  at  Paris  in  1763. 
The  independence  of  the  United  States  having  been 
secured  by  the  treaty  of  1783,  and  the  Indian  title  to 
a  large  portion  of  the  Territory  of  Ohio  having  been 
extinguished  by  the  American  Government,  the  first 
permanent  colony  was  established  at  Marietta,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum  river,  in  the  spring  of 
1788,  and  a  Territorial  Government  was  organized 
in  1 798.  The  Xorthwestern  Territory  was  composed 
of  eight  organized  counties,  and  at  that  time  con- 
tained a  population  of  five  thousand  free  male  in- 
habitants of  full  age.  The  ordinance  of  1787  pro- 
vided that  when  there  were  five  thousand  free  males 
of  full  age  in  the  Territory,  the  people  should  be  au- 
thorized to  elect  representatives  to  a  Territorial  Leg- 

(24) 


OHIO  AND  ITS  COMMENCEMENT.  25 

islature.  These,  when  chosen,  were  to  nominate  ten 
free-holders,  and  the  President  was  to  appoint  five, 
who  were  to  constitute  the  Legislative  Council.  The 
first  meeting  of  the  Territorial  Legislature  was  ap- 
pointed on  the  16th  day  of  September,  1799,  but  it 
was  not  till  the  24th  of  the  same  month  that  the  two 
houses  were  organized  for  business,  and  addressed  by 
Governor  St.  Clair. 

On  the  30th  day  of  April,  1S02,  Congress  passed 
an  act  authorizing  the  call  of  a  convention  to  forma 
State  Constitution. 

This  convention  assembled  at  Chillicothe  on  the 
first  -day  of  November,  and  on  the  29th  day  of  the 
same  month  a  Constitution  was  ratified  and  signed 
by  the  members  of  this  convention.  This  State  Con- 
stitution, however,  was  never  submitted  to  the  people 
for  their  approval,  but  became  the  law  of  the  State 
by  the  act  of  this  convention,  and  Ohio  became  one 
of  the  States  of  the  Federal  Lmion. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

INDIANS  AND  MORAVIAN  MISSIONARIES. 

Ohio  at  this  early  day  was  numerously  inhabited 
with  Indians  who  had  not  ceded  their  lands  to  the 
American  Government.  These  were  principally  Ot- 
tawas,  Chippewas,  Pottawatomies,  Shawnees,  Mun- 
sies,  Senecas,  Delawares  and  Wyandottes.  Some  of 
these  nations  were  unstable,  and  inclined  to  dispos- 
sess the  rights  of  other  nations,  and  were  more  or 
less  on  the  war  path.  The  majority,' however,  were 
quiet  and  peaceable,  and  much  respected  by  the 
white  people,  who  did  quite  an  amount  of  trading 
with  them  in  the  purchase  of  their  furs  and  wild 
fruit,  such  as  cranberries,  and  other  articles.  These 
Indians  were  not  all  heathen  ;  many  of  them  had 
made  a  profession  of  religion.  Prior  to  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  Moravian  missionary  stations  had  been 
established  among  them,  and  even  in  Ohio,  Hecke- 
welder  and  Post  had  successful  missionary  stations 
upon  the  Muskingum  river,  and  in  Tuscarawas  county, 
as  early  as  1762.  And  at  one  of  these  missionary 
stations  in  1782  a  party  of  Americans  under  the 
command  of  Colonel  Williamson,  in  cold  blood  and 
with  savage  barbarity,  murdered  ninetv-six  of  these 

(26) 


INDIANS  AND  MORAVIAN  MISSIONARIES.  27 

Christian  Indians  at  Gnadenhutten,  in  Tuscarawas 
county,  Ohio.  The  Moravian  missionaries  and  their 
converts  had  settled  upon  the  Muskingum  river  with 
the  hopes  of  establishing  a  permanent  settlement, 
where  they  could  remain  unmolested  and  free  from 
all  contending  influences.  The  Delawares,  among 
whom  they  had  settled,  had  promised  friendship,  and 
that  they  themselves  would  receive  the  Gospel,  stat- 
ing, "  we  wish  our  children  instructed  in}^our  way,  for 
we  cannot  do  this  ourselves."  This  new  settlement 
was  now  commenced,  and  was  called  Litchtennau, 
and  in  1778  their  congregations  had  increased  until 
their  membership  at  their  different  stations  amounted 
to  five  hundred  and  fifty -six  church  members,  who 
were  in  good  standing.  "While  these  missionary 
stations  were  in  a  prosperous  condition,  these  Chris- 
tian ministers  and  their  work  received  a  fearful 
check  in  consequence  of  the  war  which  had  already 
commenced  between  Great  Britain  and  the  American 
colonies.  However,  as  unfortunate  as  this  was  to 
them,  the  missionaries  and  their  converts  were  deter- 
mined to  maintain  strict  neutrality,  and  were  imitated 
by  the  Delaware  chiefs.  There  were  some  tribes  in 
the  neighborhood  not  far  from  their  settlement  who 
had  resolved  on  war,  and  were  now  enraged  against 
the  missionaries,  stating  that  the  Delawares  would 
fight  if  it  was  not  for  their  teachers ;  and  these  In- 
dians, their  enemies,  attempted  to  destroy  the  mis- 


28  CEUMBS  FKOM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

sion  and  lead  the  converts  away,  and  in  this  they 
were  too  successful.  A  party  of  apostates  was  formed 
even  in  Schoenbrunn,  who  were  ready  to  imprison  and 
murder  all  the  missionaries  at  these  stations. 
Eveiy  attempt  was  made  to  reclaim  these  apostates, 
but  all  in  vain.  It  was  considered  best  for  all  to 
unite  in  one  settlement  for  mutual  protection,  as  they 
were  in  danger  of  being  attacked  at  any  time.  Soon 
after  this  a  band  of  Hurons  came  to  Litchtennan, 
headed  by  their  chief  called  the  Half  King.  But  by 
meeting  them  with  presents  and  provisions  and  giv- 
ing them  a  kind  reception,  they  conciliated  these 
savages,  so  much  so  that  they  departed  without 
doing  them  any  harm.  This  alarm,  however,  caused 
the  missionary  at  Gnadenhutten  to  flee  to  Pittsburg, 
from  which  place  he  soon  went  to  Bethlehem.  Two 
had  previously  left,  and  now  only  Mr.  Zelesburger 
and  Mr.  Edwards  remained.  Gnadenhutten  being 
more  exposed  than  Litchtennau,  it  was  thought  best 
now  to  concentrate  at  that  place.  The  Delawares 
proposing  to  maintain  peace,  the  mission  commenced 
once  more  to  flourish,  and  the  missionaries  from 
Bethlehem  came  to  their  assistance,  and  some  of  the 
heathen  party  were  disposed  to  listen  to  the  story 
of  the  Cross.  On  one  occasion,  when  the  preacher 
arose  to  dismiss  the  congregation,  an  elderly  Indian 
who  appeared  to  be  deeply  concerned  stated  to  the 
missionary:    "We  used   to   spend  whole  nights  in 


INDIANS  AND  MORAVIAN  MISSIONARIES.  29 

dancing  and  feasting, and  were  not  much  sleep;  now 
let  ns  spend  one  night  in  hearing  more  about  this 
Great  Spirit."  As  Litchtennau  was  well  inhabited, 
Gnadenhutten  was  again  settled.  Schoenbrunn  was 
rebuilt,  not  on  the  old  site,  but  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river,  and  was  now  called  Salem.  But  this 
calm  and  peaceful  rest  from  their  enemies  was  but  the 
forerunner  of  a  more  fearful  storm.  The  Dela wares 
now  joined  the  English  and  became  the  bitter  ene- 
mies to  the  Christian  Indians.  They  had  resolved 
in  full  council  of  all  the  head  chiefs  that  the  hatchet 
should  fall  on  the  heads  of  every  one  who  refused  to 
take  it  up.  Soon  after  this  the  English  Governor  at 
Detroit  became  suspicious  that  the  missionaries  were 
partisans  of  the  American  government,  and  were  now 
acting  as  spies  to  defeat  their  object.  An  agent  was 
sent  to  the  Iroquois,  requesting  them  to  take  the 
Indian  congregation  an  I  convey  them  away.  How- 
ever, they  were  unwilling  to  do  this,  and  sent  word 
to  the  Chippewas  and  Ottawas,  "  "We  deliver  you  the 
Indian  congregation  to  make  soup  of."  They  replied  : 
"  "We  have  no  reason  to  do  this."  The  same  message 
was  sent  to  the  Half-King  of  the  Hurons,  who.  being 
instigated  by  Captain  Pipe,  of  the  Dela  wares,  finally 
accepted  the  proposition,  and  in  April,  17SL,  more 
than  three  hundred  savages,  commanded  by  the  Half- 
King,  accompanied  by  Captain  Pike,  and  headed  by 
an  English  officer,  marched  to  Litchtennau.     At  first 


30  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

they  appeared  very  friendly.  It  was  not  long,  how- 
ever, before  they  made  their  mission  known.  They 
now  wanted  the  Indians  to  remove,  and  flattered 
them  with  a  perfect  paradise  But  this  they  refused 
to  do,  which  was  now  attributed  to  the  influence  of 
the  Missionaries.  The  latter  were  then  siezed  and 
dragged  away  to  their  camps.  Senseman  was  smit- 
ten down  with  a  lance,  and  others  of  the  missionaries 
hauled  away  by  the  hair  of  their  heads,  the  savages 
saying,  "  we  guess  you  go  with  us."  Now  stripping 
them  of  all  their  clothes,  they  sang  the  death 
song  and  confined  them  in  a  hut.  The  missionaries 
having  been  secured,  they  saw  their  enemies  moving 
away,  while  they  were  left  to  their  own  sorrow.  The 
feelings  of  the  missionaries,  seeing  their  wives  and 
children  captives,  and  not  knowing  what  they  might 
be  required  to  suffer,  can  hardly  be  imagined.  At 
the  commencement  of  these  disasters  the  conduct  of 
the  Christian  Indians  was  much  like  that  of  the  first 
Disciples ;  they  fled  and  left  their  teachers.  Arriv- 
ing at  the  woods,  they  began  to  weep  and  mourn. 
Having  partially  recovered  from  the  panic,  they  re- 
turned and  used  every  means  they  could  to  relieve 
their  distress,  bringing  them  food,  and  blankets  to 
lie  upon  at  night,  and  taking  them  away  early  in  the 
morning,  lest  they  might  be  discovered.  The  savages 
having  kept  the  missionaries  confined  for  several 
davs,  and  finding  that  the  believing  Indians  would 


INDIANS  AND  MORAVIAN  MISSIONARIES.  31 

not  leave  the  settlement  without  their  teachers,  they 
were  set  at  liberty,  advising  them,  however,  to  re- 
move as  soon  as  possible.  The  brethren  now  returned 
to  their  flocks  with  shouts  of  joy,  and  administered 
the  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  with  their  breth- 
ren. However,  in  consultation,  it  was  thought  best 
under  all  circumstances  to  move  and  seek  a  resting: 
place  somewhere  else.  This  was  ver\'  trying  to  the 
missionaries  to  leave  their  beautiful  fields,  home  and 
their  herds  of  cattle  and  hogs  and  a  rich  harvest 
standing  in  the  field,  all  of  which  was  estimated  at 
$15,000.  But  the  greatest  grief  was  the  loss  of  their 
manuscripts,  compiled  with  care  for  the  history  of 
their  Church,  which  had  been  destroyed  by  fire. 
They  started  to  commence  a  new  settlement  upon 
the  Sandusky  river,  in  17S1.  After  a  tedious  journey 
of  several  days  they  landed  at  their  new  home,  with- 
out food  or  clothing,  in  the  dense  wilderness,  to  pre- 
pare for  the  approaching  winter.  They  had  hardly 
got  well  settled  with  a  few  lodges  and  temporary 
huts  before  two  Delaware  captains  came  with  orders 
to  convey  the  missionaries  to  Detroit.  Being  de- 
layed for  some  time  at  that  place  for  trial,  they  at 
last  succeeded  in  convincing  the  Governor  of  their 
innocence,  and  were  now  permitted  to  return  back 
to  their  flocks  at  Upper  Sandusky.  But  this  was 
only  to  witness  the  horrors  of  winter  without  food 
or  raiment  for  themselves  or  their  families.    Impelled 


V>'2  CRUMBS  FKOM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

by  the  severity  of  the  famine,  quite  a  number  of 
their  converts  resolved  to  return  to  Gnadenlmtten 
for  provisions.  They  had  heard  that  there  was  no 
danger,  but  in  this  they  were  sadly  mistaken.  Their 
former  home  became  the  theatre  of  a  catastrophe 
which  almost  beggars  human  description.  A  party 
of  Christian  Indians,  who  had  been  taken  with  their 
missionary  and  conveyed  to  Pittsburg,  on  examina- 
tion had  been  released  by  the  Governor.  This  gave 
great  offense  to  some  of  the  miserable  white  persons 
who  had  been  hunting  the  Indians  as  they  would 
tigers.  They  now  resolved  on  the  destruction  of 
those  who  had  come  to  the  settlement  for  the  pur- 
pose of  obtaining  provisions  for  themselves  and  those 
whom  they  left  behind.  The  Governor  being  ap- 
prised of  this  project,  sent  word  to  the  Indians  to 
escape.  But  this  was  too  late.  The  conspirators 
first  meeting  young  Schebosh,  a  son  of  one  of  the 
missionaries,  in  the  woods  near  Gnadenlmtten,  fired 
and  wounded  him  so  he  could  not  escape.  He  begged 
for  his  life,  but  they  scalped  and  cut  him  in  pieces. 
They  then  approached  the  Indians,  who  were  on  the 
plantation  gathering  corn,  pretending  to  be  their 
friends,  assuring  them  they  had  nothing  to  fear  from 
the  Americans,  and  now  offered  to  convey  them  to 
Pittsburg,  where  they  would  be  protected  and  pro- 
vided for,  and  would  be  out  of  the  way  of  the  Eng- 
lish and  savages.     The  Indians  were  readv  to  think 


INDIANS  AND  MORAVIAN  MISSIONARIES.  33 

perhaps  this  would  be  for  the  best,  cheerfully  resigned 
themselves  to  the  direction  of  these  inhuman  beings, 
giving  up  all  of  their  arms,  which  they  were  assured 
they  would  receive  again  at  Pittsburg.  Many  of 
the  Indians  being  at  Salem  and  at  other  settlements, 
the  conspirators  wished  to  see  them.  They  were 
conducted  by  the  converts,  with  whom  on  the  way 
they  offered  prayers  and  affected  to  be  very  religious, 
sino-inff  song's  and  offering  their  devotions  to  the 
Great  Spirit.  Now  having  these  poor  Indians  wholly 
in  their  power,  they  seized  and  bound  them  without 
any  resistance.  They  then  held  a  council,  in  which 
it  was  determined  to  murder  them.  Some,  however, 
revolted,  calling  upon  God  to  witness  that  they 
would  take  no  part  in  such  a  wicked  sacrifice.  The 
majority,  however,  persisted ;  some  were  for  burn- 
ing, others  for  scalping.  The  latter,  however,  was 
determined  upon,  and  one  of  their  number  was  sent 
to  inform  the  prisoners  as  Christians  they  must  now 
prepare  for  death.  They  were  led  into  a  house 
which  the  murderers  had  designated  as  the  slaughter 
pen,  one  room  for  the  men  and  the  other  for  the 
women  ;  and  there  they  were  scalped  and  murdered 
in  the  most  shocking  manner;  and  it  was  admitted 
by  some  of  these  devils  in  human  shape  that  these 
Indians  were  good  Christians.  They  sang  and  prayed 
to  the  very  last  breath.  Two  boys  had  escaped,  one 
out  of  the  back  window  and  the  other  had  crawled 

into  the  cellar  of  the  house  when  the  women  were 
3 


34  CRUMBS   FROM    MY  SADDLE   BAGS. 

murdered ;  and  he  stated  while  he  was  lying  there 
the  blood  of  the  innocent  women  and  children  ran 
down  upon  him  in  streams.  And  now  these  inhu- 
man beings  set  tire  to  the  Indian  village  and  marched 
away  with  their  scalps.  The  news  of  this  massacre 
soon  spread,  and  to  describe  the  feelings  of  the  mis- 
sionaries and  the  grief  of  the  Indian  congregation  at 
Upper  Sandusky  would  be  impossible  ;  parents  weep- 
ing for  their  children,  wives  for  their  husbands  and 
children  for  their  parents.  But  let  it  be  remembered 
they  wept  not  as  those  who  have  no  hope.  It  has 
been  credibly  stated,  while  these  Moravian  converts 
were  on  their  knees  in  prayer,  committing  their  spirits 
to  God,  they  were  knocked  in  the  head  one  by  one 
with  clubs  and  the  butts  of  their  guns.  This  was  the 
massacre  of  1782.  Much  has  been  said  and  written 
in  regard  to  the  burning  of  Colonel  Crawford  by  the 
Delawares,  near  Upper  Sandusky;  but  it  must  be 
remembered  that  Colonel  Crawford  was  a  participant 
in  this  affair,  and  had  marched  his  army  up  on  the 
Sandusky  plains  with  the  intention  of  wiping  out 
the  last  vestige  of  these  Moravian  missions,  principally 
composed  of  the  Delaware  Indians.  Is  there  any- 
thing surprising  in  the  manner  in  which  they  tor- 
tured him?  IIowr  will  the  burning  of  Crawford  by 
these  Delaware  Indians  compare  with  Libby  Prison, 
our  brave  and  noble  boys  starving  and  dying  by 
inches,  and  compelled  to  remain  there  by  the  edict 
of  Jeff  Davis  and  a  Southern  Confederacy  ? 


CHAPTER  X. 

DANGERS    AND    DIFFICULTIES. 

In  the  early  settlement  of  Ohio  a  large  portion  of 
the  new  territory  was  numerously  infested  with  wild 
beasts,  such  as  bears,  wolves,  panthers  and  other 
animals  of  less  destructive  propensities,  but  all  more 
or  less  dangerous.  The  pioneer  in  his  wilderness 
home  was  compelled  to  house  all  his  young  stock  to 
prevent  their  being  killed  or  carried  away  at  night. 

There  was  no  animal  of  the  forest  more  dreaded 
than  the  panther.  They  were  sly  and  deceptive,  and 
would  spring  upon  their  prey  unawares,  and  no  animal 
more  dreaded  even  by  the  Indians  in  their  wilderness 
state.  The  sound  of  the  panther's  voice  at  night 
was  the  tocsin  of  alarm  and  would  set  their  camps 
or  villages  all  in  commotion,  and  there  was  no  rest 
day  or  night  until  the  fearful  monster  was  despatched. 
It  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  the  panther  to  creep 
along  through  the  undergrowth  of  timber  or  the  tall 
grass  and  pick  up  one  of  their  small  children  that 
had  wandered  a  short  distance  from  the  tent  or 
wigwam,  and  carry  it  up  into  the  top  of  some  tall 
tree,  and  was  only  prevented  from  his  human  feast 
by  the  well  directed  aim  of  the  Indian's  rifle,  the 
life  of  the  child  being  extinct. 

(35) 


36  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

And  this  was  sometimes  the  sad  occurrence  even 
among  white  children.  At  an  early  day  Mrs.  Perry 
on  a  beautiful  afternoon  had  wandered  out  along  the 
hillside  to  gather  some  wild  fruit,  near  what  wras 
called  the  black  fork  of  the  Mohickon.  She  having 
prepared  a  bed  of  leaves,  had  laid  her  child  down  to 
sleep  while  she  was  gathering  her  berries  near  by, 
unconscious  of  any  danger.  All  at  once  she  was 
aroused  by  the  growl  and  screaching  of  a  large 
panther,  and  turned  around  just  in  time  to  see  her 
child  dragged  away  by  this  frightful  monster  into 
the  mouth  of  a  cave  beneath  a  large  shelving  rock, 
there  to  be  devoured  at  will.  Probably  her  own  life 
was  saved  at  the  sacrifice  of  her  infant  babe. 

These  wild  animals  and  their  depredations  were 
not  uncommon  even  in  my  day,  or  in  the  early  settle- 
ment of  Ohio  in  Licking  county.  To  exterminate 
or  to  dimmish  them  a  meeting  was  called  at  Gran- 
ville, and  during  their  deliberations  this  convention 
inaugurated  wiiat  was  called  the  Licking  county 
dramatic  hunt,  including  all  who  were  disposed  to 
engaged  in  the  enterprise.  The  programme  of 
operation  was  as  follows :  On  the  day  appointed, 
which  had  been  announced  in  all  the  churches  and 
school  districts,  the  male  population  of  sufficient  age 
were  to  assemble  at  what  was  called  Silvanius 
Gideon's  deadening,  where  suitable  officers  would  be 
appointed  for  the  day  and  the  management  of  each 


DANGERS  AND  DIFFICULTIES.  37 

division.  Prior  to  this  a  large  tract  of  timber  land 
had  been  surveyed  and  marked  out  by  blazing-  the 
trees,  and  on  these  surveyed  lines,  which  included  the 
entire  scope  of  country.  Each  line  was  to  be  well 
supplied  with  men  and  boys,  some  eight  or  ten  rods 
apart,  and  all  armed  and  equipped  at  9  a.  m.,  ready 
to  start  at  the  first  sound  of  the  signal.  A  cannon  had 
been  planted  at  the  center  of  this  tract  of  land  to 
announce  the  order  of  the  day,  and  this  was  to  be 
fired  precisely  at  9  a.  m.  for  all  to  commence  march- 
ing, and  at  the  same  time  driving  all  before  them 
until  they  reached  the  inside  line,  which  was  about 
one-fourth  of  a  mile  from  the  center  of  operation, 
being  as  near  as  was  considered  safe  in  preventing 
accidents.  On  this  inside  line  all  were  to  remain 
until  each  division  had  reached  the  line — so  as  to 
prevent  any  escape.  All  the  animals  now  being 
inclosed  in  this  narrow  space  and  well  surrounded 
by  men  and  boys,  it  was  a  wonderful  sight;  and 
Barnum's  most  extensive  exhibit  would  be  a  small 
affair  in  comparison  with  the  number  and  the  variety 
of  these  animals,  which  consisted  of  hundreds  if  not 
thousands.  All  things  now  beino;  in  order,  at  12  m. 
the  cannon  announced  the  time  for  the  general 
attack  all  along  the  lines,  and  the  excitement  was 
past  description  ;  whooping  and  hollowing,  a  hundred 
or  more  tin  horns  in  full  blast,  the  constant  firing 
and  the  roaring  of  the  cannon,  and  every  division 


00  CRUMBS    FROM    MY    SADDLE    BAGS. 

moving  slowly  towards  the  center,  making  a  final 
finish  of  the  last  fowl  or  beast,  until  all  had  reached 
the  center.  And  as  the  night  was  fast  approaching, 
and  those  who  were  assigned  with  pack  horses  had 
deposited  the  principal  part  of  the  game  near  the 
cannon,  the  distribution  now  commenced.  Every 
man  and  boy  received  his  proportion  as  a  trophy  of 
the  triumphs  of  the  day,  which  had  proved  so  success- 
ful. Three  panthers  had  been  killed,  several  bears, 
numerous  wolves,  and  other  animals  too  numerous  to 
mention.  The  first  of  these  hunts  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  attending  I  was  but  a  small  lad,  rode  behind  my 
father  on  the  well-trained  sorrel  mare — my  father 
riding  in  company  with  others  inspecting  the  ranks 
and  assisting  in  keeping  the  lines  well  closed.  I  was 
delighted  seeing  the  wild  animals  passing  along, 
pressing  up  on  each  line  to  find  an  opening  where 
they  might  escape.  I  had  entirely  forgotten  the 
wants  of  nature  until  the  exciting  scene  had  closed 
and  my  father  said,  "  Now  my  son,  we  must  start  for 
home,  as  night  is  fast  approaching;"  and  was 
reminded  of  the  well-prepared  lunch  a  prudent  mother 
had  stowed  away  in  the  saddle  bags,  lest  her  darling 
child  might  die  of  hunger. 

Somewhat  similar  to  these  hunts  was  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  numerous  reptiles  inhabiting  the  hills  and 
valleys  of  Licking  county.  Large  numbers  of  snakes 
might  be  seen  on  a  spring  morning  along  the  road, 


DANGERS  AND  DIFFICULTIES.  39 

in  the  fields,  gardens  and  meadows,  and  often  com- 
mitting their  depredations  upon  man  and  beast.  So 
numerous  were  these  reptiles,  that,  turning  up  some  of 
the  rocks  along  the  side  hills  during  a  summer  morn- 
ing, there  would  be  found  in  their  dens,  all  coiled  up 
together,  rattle  snakes,  black  snakes,  copper-heads, 
and  other  snakes.  It  appeared  their  liberal  terms 
only  required  that  of  snakeship.  For  several  years 
they  had  in  Granville  and  vicinity  their  Friday 
hunts,  choosing  sides,  and  the  one  that  was  beaten, 
or  killed  the  smallest  number,  had  to  pay  three  gallons 
of  Gust.  Munson's  whisky,  or  enough  to  treat  the 
crowd.  And  it  has  been  stated  that  during  the 
spring  of  1808  there  were  more  than  3,000  snakes 
killed  within  the  incorporated  village  of  Granville, 
Licking  county,  Ohio.     So  stated  in  early  history. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

EARLY  SETTLEMENT  OF  GRANVILLE. 

This  was  the  place  of  my  nativity  and  the  com- 
mencement of  my  ministry. 

My  father  and  mother  were  the  honored  parents 
of  twelve  children,  all  of  whom  have  passed  away 
save  my  brother  Ezekiel  S.  Gavitt  and  myself.  My 
parents  were  of  revolutionary  fame.  They  were 
born  in  Rhode  Island,  moved  to  Connecticut,  and  at 
last  emigrated  from  East  Granville,  Massachusetts, 
and  settled  in  Granville,  Licking  count}r,  Ohio,  in 
1805.  This  place  was  first  settled  by  a  colony  of 
some  two  hundred  and  fifty  souls,  who  principally 
emigrated  from  East  Granville,  Massachusetts,  and 
were  called  the  Licking  Company,  one  hundred  and 
twenty  of  whom  were  the  legal  proprietors  who  pur- 
chased, in  1804,  about  30,000  acres  of  land  on  what 
was  called  the  Raccoon  Bottom,  or  Cherry  Valley. 

Soon  after  this  purchase  William  Gavitt  and  Elias 
Gill  man  started  for  the  new  country  and  the  wilds 
of  Ohio,  for  the  purpose  of  selecting  a  suitable  site 
for  the  town  plat,  erect  a  mill,  and  to  provide,  as  far 
as  possible,  for  the  convenience  and  comfort  of  the 
members  of  this  colonv,  who  were  expected  to  arrive 
"    (±0) 


EARLY  SETTLEMENT  OF  GRANVILLE.  41 

some  time  during  the  approaching  summer  or  fall. 
Emigrating  to  a  new  country  in  the  far  West,  but 
partially  settled,  and  inhabited  with  Indians,  wild 
beasts,  and  almost  entirely  destitute  of  all  moral  and 
religious  improvements,  was  by  no  means  an  ordi- 
nary undertaking.  The  members  of  this  colony  had 
been  fifty  days  upon  their  journey,  coming,  as  they 
did,  all  the  way  with  ox  teams.  Arriving  at  their 
new  home  as  the  Sabbath  approached,  the  first  thing 
was  to  prepare  for  their  religious  devotions.  They 
were  of  the  Puritan  faith,  and  had  organized  their 
church  before  they  started ;  having  all  the  peculiar- 
ities of  their  early  church  education,  the  Sabbath 
being"  observed  with  the  greatest  strictness — having* 
no  house  for  public  worship,  or  even  a  log  cabin  for 
themselves,  they  now  proposed  worshiping  in  the 
field  or  the  woods,  as  it  was  said  of  God's  ancient 
people ;  and,  to  have  some  definite  place  for  their 
assembling,  they  felled  a  large  black-walnut  tree 
standing  near  the  Public  Square,  and  around  this  and 
by  its  side  they  assembled  on  the  15th  day  of  No- 
vember, 1805,  for  their  first  devotional  service.  The 
novelty  of  worshiping  in  the  woods,  the  wilderness 
extending  for  hundreds  of  miles  around,  the  fact 
that  winter  was  fast  approaching,  with  no  shelter  to 
protect  themselves  against  the  threatening  storms, 
their  exposure  to  wild  beasts  and  savage  tribes,  the 
thoughts  of  the  past  and  the  loved  ones  whom  they 


4'2  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

had  left  behind,  perhaps  never  to  see  again,  all  of 
this  made  it  a  solemn  and  a  trying  occasion  to  them  ; 
and  much  more  so  than  they  had  at  first  anticipated. 
When  they  commenced  singing,  their  voices,  echoing 
among  the  tree  tops,  sounded  strange  and  quite  dif- 
ferent from  the  same  familiar  hymns  in  the  beautiful 
temples  in  which  the}7  had  formerly  worshiped.  It 
is  said  that  many  of  them  wept  aloud  when  they  re- 
membered Zion,  and  strong  hearts  were  moved  to 
tears  in  this,  their  wilderness  home.  But  not  dis- 
couraged they  confided  in  the  promise  of  Him  whose 
eyes  are  over  the  righteous,  and  whose  ears  are 
opened  to  their  cries. 

Granville  is  six  miles  east  of  Newark,  the  county- 
seat,  and  the  oldest  village  in  the  count}',  commenc- 
ing with  the  colony  of  1805,  and  would  have  been 
the  countyseat  in  all  probability,  had  it  not  been  for 
some  of  its  early  misfortunes,  such  as  the  failure  of 
the  Granville  Bank,  one  of  the  first  chartered  in  the 
State.  This  disaster  so  affected  the  fortunes  of  many 
of  the  stockholders  and  paralyzed  their  energy  and 
influence  that  a  much  less  enterprising  place  reaped 
the  advantages  of  their  misfortunes.  Previous  to  the 
establishing  of  the  countyseat,  it  was  supposed  by 
many  that  Worthington  would  be  the  capital  of 
Ohio,  as  this  was  near  the  center  of  the  State,  and 
Granville,  being  between  this  place  and  Zanesville,  it 
would  naturally  make  a  large  town,  and  a  central 


EARLY  SETTLEMENT  OF  ORANVILLE.  43 

point  for  the  county  seat.  But  with  all  its  misfor- 
tunes, Granville  has  maintained  its  honored  and  re- 
spectable position,  as  one  among  the  most  romantic 
Yankee  villages  in  the  State,  being  adorned  and 
beautified  with  hill  and  dale.  The  population  are 
noted  for  their  intelligence,  morality  and  industry, 
and  are  well  supplied  with  religious  privileges  and 
railroad  advantages.  Granville  presents  many  at- 
tractions to  the  young  and  the  aged  as  a  quiet  re- 
treat, and  for  moral  and  literary  attainments.  Here 
is  where  I  received  mv  first  lessons  and  early  educa- 
tion in  one  of  the  best  schools  there  was  in  the  State, 
the  Granville  Academy,  a  large  brick  building  stand- 
ing at  the  base  of  the  hill  which  is  now  adorned  by 
the  stately  buildings  of  the  Baptist  College. 

Though  long  years  have  passed  away,  and  ioved 
ones  are  gone  since  I  left  the  rural  home  of  childhood 
and  youth,  it  is  with  honored  respect  I  refer  to  the 
names  of  a  few  who  helped  to  constitute  this  early 
colony :  Elias  Gillman,  William  Gavitt,  Hugh  Kel- 
ley,  Elisha  Gillman,  Kaswell  Graves,  Levi  and  Hiram 
Rose,  Elhannah  Lennel,  Spencer  Thomas,  Timothy 
Spelman,  Dennis  Kelley,  William  Jones;  Cotton, 
Alexander  and  William  Thrall ;  Augustine  Munson, 
Amos  Carpenter  ;  Timothy,  Samuel,  Heland,  Lemuel 
and  Hiram  P.  Rose  ;  Justin  and  Truman  Hillyer ; 
Silvanus,  Gideon,  Isaac  and  Archibald  Cornel ;  Sim- 
eon and  Alfred  Avery,  Frederick  Moore,  Worthy 


44         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

Pratt;  Ezekiel,  Samuel  and  Truman  Wells;  Albert 
Mitchell,  Joshua  Knowles,  Benjamin  Lennel,  Lester 
and  Hiram  Case,  Harry  and  Lewis  Clemmons; 
Leverett,  Harry  and  Charles  Butler;  Titus  Knox; 
William,  John,  Asa  B.,  Benjamin  F.,  Marcus  A., 
George  B.  and  Ezekiel  S.  Gavitt,  children  of  my 
honored  parents. 

Time  has  made  its  impress  upon  the  early  inhab- 
itants of  Granville,  and  but  few  are  left  to  tell  the 
history  of  the  past.  The  moral  and  religious  influ- 
ence of  the  place  in  which  I  was  born,  and  the  early 
religious  instruction  which  I  received  from  a  devoted 
Christian  mother,  had  much  to  do  in  forming  my 
character  and  establishing  my  purpose  in  future  life. 
From  the  time  I  was  eight  years  old  until  I  entered 
the  ministry,  I  provided  principally  for  myself. 
Leaving  Granville  in  the  early  part  of  my  life,  and 
entering  upon  the  itinerancy  as  a  Methodist  minister, 
I  could  hardly  call  any  place  my  home ;  yet  with 
all  the  changing  scenes  of  past  years,  I  have  never 
forgotten  my  youthful  days,  or  my  early  associates. 
It  is  a  very  great  pleasure,  which  I  seldom  enjoy,  to 
meet  a  young  man  born  or  raised  in  Granville. 
And  I  am  still  proud  of  the  State  in  which  I  was 
born,  and  the  place  of  my  nativity. 

Since  the  death  of  my  parents  and  my  precious 
sisters,  Mis.  Sarah  Moore  and  Amelia  Bragg, the  last 
of  my  father's  family  remaining  in  Granville,  which 


EARLY  SETTLEMENT  OF  GRANVILLE.  45 

was  once  the  happy  home  of  a  large  family,  it  is  sel- 
dom I  visit  Granville.  Loved  ones  are  gone,  and  but 
few  of  my  early  associates  left.  When  I  visit  this  place 
and  walk  among  the  tombs,  and  read  their  names,  I 
turn  away  with  a  sad  heart,  and  say  to  myself,  when 
and  where  will  we  all  meet  again  '. 

CHURCH    PECULIARITIES. 

Never  was  there  a  church  more  conscientious  in 
the  observance  of  the  Sabbath  than  the  members  of 
this  Puritan  church.  There  was  no  such  thing  as 
visiting,  riding  or  working,  excepting  in  cases  of 
sickness  or  death.  Their  Sabbath  commenced  on  Sat- 
urday, and  terminated  at  four  o'clock  on  Sunday,  at 
which  time  the  duties  of  the  coming  week  commenced. 
It  was  said  if  a  dog  was  in  the  habit  of  barking,  or 
a  rooster  in  the  habit  of  crowing,  between  the  hours 
of  two  o'clock  on  Saturday  and  four  o'clock  on  Sun- 
clay,  their  lives  were  despaired  of  unless  there  was  a 
commendable  change.  Their  religious  devotions 
were  in  keeping  with  this  Puritan  faith.  They  had 
quite  a  comfortable  frame  church,  but  according  to 
the  custom  of  that  early  day,  there  was  no  provision 
made  for  heating  or  making  the  house  comfortable 
in  the  most  extreme  cold  weather.  Such  a  thing  as 
a  stove  or  a  furnace  would  have  been  a  curiosity,  as 
much  so  as  Barnum's  museum.  Every  family  was 
provided  with  a  foot  stove,  composed  of  wood  and  tin, 


46  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

with  a  cup  of  hot  embers  placed  inside.  With  these 
hand  stoves,  and  the  men  with  their  thick  overcoats 
and  the  women  with  their  red  hood  woolen  cloaks, 
aud  their  children  well  provided  with  shawls,  they 
were  prepared  for  public  worship  on  the  Lord's  day, 
and  listen  to  the  reading  of  a  sermon  upon  some  one 
of  the  leading  doctrines  of  the  church.  After  the 
morning;  services  there  was  a  recess  of  an  hour,  dur- 
ing  which  time  they  partook  of  the  family  lunch, 
which  had  been  prepared  for  the  occasion,  and  spent 
the  hour  in  social  conversation. 

The  time  having  arrived  for  the  afternoon  service, 
the  sexton  rings  his  bell  as  the  signal  for  worship, 
and  all  the  congregation  are  once  more  in  their  pews. 
The  clerk  steps  to  the  stand  and  announces  the 
number  of  the  hymn,  using  his  tuning  fork  to  get 
the  right  pitch,  states  the  tune  mere  or  Old  Hundred, 
reading  the  hymn  two  lines  at  a  time,  and  at  the 
wave  of  his  hand  all  are  upon  their  feet  and  unite  in 
the  song  of  praise. 

The  minister  ascends  the  high  and  narrow  pulpit 
and  announces  his  text :  "  The  twenty -second  verse 
of  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  St.  Mark,  '  For  false 
Christs  and  false  prophets  shall  arise,  showing  signs 
and  wonders  to  seduce,  if  possible,  the  very  elect.1 " 
A  well  prepared  sermon  is  delivered  with  more  than 
ordinary  zeal,  in  which  the  preacher  refers  to  the  sin 
of  Judas  in  betraying  his  Lord,  the  fall  of  Adam, 


EARLY  SETTLEMENT  OF  GRANVILLE.  47 

Jonah's  gourd.  Lot's  wife,  and  David's  sinful  fall, 
closing-  his  sermon  by  stating  that  these  things  re- 
mind me  of  the  fearful  heresy  which  has  been  intro- 
duced into  this  community  by  the  Methodist  circuit 
riders,  and  as  the  pastor  of  the  church  it  was  his. 
duty  to  watch  over  the  interest  of  his  flock.  I  would 
advise  all  the  members  and  others  to  keep  away  from 
these  Methodist  ministers  and  their  meetings,  unless 
you  wish  to  be  affected  with  their  fanaticism  and  get 
the  jerks. 

The  doxology  sung,  the  benediction  pronounced, 
and  all  are  once  more  on  their  way  home.  Whatever 
may  have  been  the  feelings  of  others,  as  for  myself, 
being  confined  in  a  church  during  a  January  snow 
storm  for  four  long  hours,  with  but  a  child's  heart* 
I  felt  relieved  when  standing  before  the  New  Year's 
cabin  fire  at  my  father's  home,  and  could  say,  as  the 
pious  lady  did  who  had  just  come  out  of  the  water, 
having  been  immersed  :  She  thanked  the  Lord  that 
day  was  over,  as  she  had  been  dreading  the  painful 
duty  all  the  week. 

This  Colonial  Church  of  Granville  was  my  mother's, 
choice,  and  the  one  to  which  I  first  belonged.  And 
long  may  the  membership  of  this  Congregational 
Church  continue  to  prosper  in  the  future,  as  they 
have  in  years  of  the  past.  It  was  not  long  before 
the  Baptists  and  other  religious  denominations  es- 
tablished churches  in  Granville,  and  some  of   the: 


48  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

peculiarities  of  the  early  Church  underwent  a  change. 
But  more  especially  as  to  the  time  of  commencing 
the  holy  Sabbath,  conforming  to  the  wishes  of  others. 
For  some  cause  Method i  sm  was  never  very  productive 
in  Granville.  This  may  be  in  part  attributed  to  the 
wealth  and  influence  of  other  churches.  However, 
it  is  not  surprising,  as  the  principal  part  of  the  in- 
habitants of  Granville  are  from  the  Eastern  States, 
and  from  the  hot-bed  of  their  Calvinistic  ancestry ; 
and  it  is  somewhat  with  these  Eastern  Yankees  as  it 
was  with  the  man  who  stuttered,  stating  that  he  was 
not  to  blame  for  the  impediment,  as  it  was  born  in 
him. 

It  was  some  five  years  after  the  commencement  of 
this  Colonial  Church  before  Methodism  was  intro- 
duced into  Granville,  and  this  was  principally  through 
the  influence  of  Esq.  Gavitt.  He  being  a  skeptical 
free-thinker  and  somewhat  opposed  to  Calvinism, 
opened  his  house  and  extended  his  hospitality  to  all 
who  were  disposed  to  patronize  his  liberal  principles, 
and  never  wanted  for  guests,  which  ultimately  proved 
favorable  as  to  his  temporal  and  spiritual  interests.  On 
one  occasion  a  French  woman  and  her  two  children 
put  up  with  him  over  night.  During  the  evening 
some  of  his  neighbors  called  in,  complaining  of  their 
seed  corn,  and  the  destruction  by  birds  of  their  early 
planting,  and  worms  destroying  the  last  few  sprouts, 
and  fearful  there  must  be  and  would  be  a  famine. 


EARLY  SETTLEMENT  OF  GRANVILLE.  49 

After  they  had  left,  this  widow  woman,  who  had  been 
present  and  heard  their  complaints,  stated  such  was 
the  case  at  an  early  day  in  Canada,  and  she  could 
tell  them  how  to  prevent  it — by  boiling  up  what  was 
called  skunks  cabbage  and  making  a  strong  decoc- 
tion, and  soak  their  seed  corn  in  that  over  night,  and 
that  would  prevent  anything  disturbing  the  grain. 
The  experiment  was  tried  the  next  day,  and  proved 
a  success,  Mr.  Gavitt  having  one  of  the  best  fields  of 
corn  in  all  the  country,  and  about  the  only  corn  that 
matured.  The  question  was  often  propounded  to 
Mr.  Gavitt,  why  his  corn  was  so  much  superior  to 
his  neighbors'  ?  His  reply  was,  because  he  kept  the 
poor  as  well  as  the  rich,  and  if  they  would  do  the 
same  they  too  would  have  fine  crops,  as  well  as  him- 
self. This,  however,  did  not  appear  to  satisfy  their 
minds,  until  he  had  stated  the  circumstance,  and 
then  appealed  to  them  if  it  was  not  by  keeping  this 
poor  widow  woman  over  night.  At  first  he  had  so 
little  confidence  in  the  remedy  he  did  not  think  it 
worth  while  to  explain  it  to  his  neighbors,  or  he 
would  have  done  so  before  it  was  too  late. 

Especially  did  Mr.  Gavitt  make  a  home  for  all  the 
early  itinerant  Methodist  ministers,  and  often  did 
they  stop  and  rest  a  few  days  or  remain  over  night 
as  they  were  passing  through  the  country.  Such 
men  were  Samuel  Parker,  William  Mitchell,  Robert 
Cloud,  Michael  Ellis,  James  B.  Finley,  Samuel  West, 


50  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

Joseph  Mitchell  and  others.  Bishops  Asbury  and 
McKendree  would  sometimes  stop  with  him  and 
preach  at  night  while  on  their  way  to  their  "Western 
Conferences.  This  kind  of  hospitality  by  one  who 
made  no  profession  of  religion  was  very  acceptable 
at  that  early  day.  Mr.  Gavitt  said  the  prayers  and 
the  good  counsel  which  they  gave  to  his  children 
more  than  compensated  him  for  all  he  did  for  these 
ministers.  This  kind  of  hospitality  was  the  means 
of  his  conversion,  which  was  somewhat  mysterious. 
In  1810,  Mr.  Gavitt  and  his  wife  were  invited  by 
these  Methodist  ministers  to  attend  a  camp  meeting 
which  was  to  be  held  on  Joseph  Tharp's  farm,  some 
twenty  or  thirty  miles  distant  from  Granville.  He 
having  some  cheese  to  sell  concluded  that  this  camp 
meeting  would  be  a  fine  place  to  dispose  of  it,  and 
consented  to  attend,  taking  with  him  his  wife,  one 
of  his  sons,  and  Capt.  B. — a  man  somewhat  intem- 
perate, and  over  whom  he  had  been  appointed 
guardian  to  prevent  him  from  wasting  his  property. 
Reaching  the  camp  ground  the  ministers  were  pleased 
to  see  him,  but  stated  he  could  not  dispose  of  his 
cheese  until  the  close  of  the  meeting,  but  he  could 
store  it  away  in  the  preachers'  tent,  and  at  the  close 
of  the  meeting  they  would  dispose  of  it  for  him 
without  any  trouble.  To  this  he  consented,  provid- 
ing they  would  convert  Mr.  B.,  whom  he  had  brought 
with  him  for  that  purpose. 


EARLY  SETTLEMENT  OF  GRANVILLE.  51 

This  they  could  not  do  ;  but  with  his  influence  this 
might  be  done,  providing  he  would  remain.  The 
meeting  had  not  progressed  far  before  Mr.  B.  gave 
evidence  of  deep  conviction,  and  was  found  among 
the  seekers  of  religion.  Piters  having  been  offered 
in  his  behalf,  all  appeared  to  be  of  no  avail.  Mr.  B. 
informed  some  one  of  the  preachers  that  he  could 
never  be  converted  unless  Mr.  Gavitt  would  come 
and  pray  for  him.  A  messenger  was  soon  dispatched 
and  the  information  communicated.  Said  Mr.  Gavitt : 
"How  can  I  pray  for  him,  having  never  prayed  for 
myself  V  He  was  urged  to  go,  and  if  no  more,  he 
could  say  the  Lord's  Prayer.  Having  knelt  by  his 
side  and  commenced  repeating  his  prayer,  Mr.  B. 
rose  and  returned  to  his  tent.  Mr.  Gavitt  not 
being  aware  of  this,  and  becoming  deeply  concerned 
for  his  own  sins,  still  remained  on  his  knees,  and  well 
did  the  ministers  hold  him  to  it  until  midnight. 
When  Mr.  Gavitt  had  returned  to  his  tent  said  Mr. 
B.:  "1  have  played  a  fine  trick  on  you,  William, 
hoping  these  Methodists  might  convert  you,  as  you 
appeared  to  be  so  anxious  for  my  conversion." 
The  meeting  having  closed,  the  cheese  disposed  of, 
they  started  for  home.  Having  to  camp  out  on  their 
journey  over  night,  Mrs.  Gavitt  was  still  hopeful 
that  her  husband  would  be  converted,  and  proposed 
to  have  prayers  before  they  retired  for  the  night. 
Her  son  by  this  time  was  deeply  convicted,  and  was 


52  CRl  MBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAG8. 

anxious  that  his  mother  should  pray  for  him.  Mr. 
Butler  acknowledged  that  he  had  done  wrong  in 
making  light  of  religion,  and  wished  to  be  remem- 
feered  in  her  prayers.  Mrs.  Gavitt  was  not  long 
pleading  with  God  for  their  conversion  before  their 
prayers  were  mingled  with  hers,  and  before  mid- 
night her  husband,  son  and  Mr.  Butler  were  soundly 
converted,  and  made  the  woods  ring  with  their  shouts 
of  joy. 

In  1809  Robert  Cloud  arrived  in  Granville  on 
Saturda}r,  and  finding  there  were  no  members  in  the 
place  of  his  own  Church,  and  learning  of  the  hos- 
pitality of  Mr.  Gavitt,  who  kept  a  place  of  public  enter, 
tainment,  he  called  on  him  and  was  made  welcome. 
Suitable  arrangements  were  made  for  public  worship 
to  be  on  Sabbath  at  the  log  school  house.  At  the 
appointed  time  a  medium  congregation  of  outsiders 
and  a  few  of  the  more  liberal  ones  of  the  established 
Church,  had  assembled,  Mr.  Cloud  taking  for  his 
text,  Acts  xvii.,  6th:  "Those  that  have  turned  the 
world  upside  clown  have  come  hither  also,"  Mr.  Cloud 
setting  forth  the  peculiarities  of  Methodism  in  oppo- 
sition to  Calvinism  created  some  unpleasantness  in 
the  ranks  of  the  faithful,  and  objections  were  made 
to  any  further  use  of  this  log  temple.  The  party 
strife  became  so  strong  on  Monday  night  the  school- 
house  was  demolished  and  its  contents  scattered  over 
the  Public  Square,  and  these  opponents  to  Methodism 


EARLY  SETTLEMENT  OF  GRANVILLE.  53 

were  left  to  enjoy  their  honored  rights ;  but  not 
without  Mr.  Cloud's  opinion  of  the  Westminister 
confession  of  faith. 

In  1810  this  minister  was  assigned  to  the  Knox 
circuit,  and  during  this  year  Mr.  Cloud  formed  a  class 
and  established  the  first  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  the  village  of  Granville,  which  at  first  consisted  of 
but  three  members,  William  Gavitt,  Theoffa  Griffith 
and  Mr.  II.  Butler.  My  father  was  the  first  and  for 
many  years  the  only  official  member  in  Granville, 
and  was  well  known  among  the  ministers  and  mem- 
bership at  that  early  day  as  a  consistent  and  influ- 
ential member  of  the  Church,  and  his  social  qualities 
made  him  friends  wherever  he  went ;  and,  strange  to 
tell,  to  my  knowledge  I  never  knewr  him  to  do  a  hard 
day's  work  unless  it  was  in  his  law  office  or  repre- 
senting the  county  in  which  he  lived  in  the  Ohio  State 
Legislature,  when  Chillicothe  was  the  capital  of  the 
State,  and  as  postmaster  or  magistrate  almost  to  the 
close  of  his  effective  life.  And  amidst  all  of  his 
political  career  he  retained  the  confidence  of  his  party, 
and  his  fidelity  to  the  Church  of  his  choice,  and  died 
in  hopes  of  immortality  and  eternal  life,  in  the  ninety- 
sixth  year  of  his  age. 

THE    FIRST   METHODIST    MEETING    HOUSE. 

The  first  Methodist  Church  in  Granville  was  com- 
menced in  1822,  and  was  finished  and  dedicated  dur- 


54  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

ing  the  ministry  of  Edward  Taylor  and  Henry  S. 
Fernandes  in  1824.  Methodism  was  thus  planted  in 
Granville  at  an  early  day,  and  hadjall  the  advantages 
of  a  first-class  ministry.  Such  men  as  Abner  Goff, 
Charles  Thorn,  Samuel  Hamilton,  Zarah  Coston, 
Curtis  Goddard,  James  Hooper,  S.  II.  Holland,  James 
Gilruth,  Charles  Lybrand,  Leonidas  L.  Hamline,  S. 
A.  G.  Phillips,  F.  A.  Simmons,  Joseph  Carper,  Uriah 
Heath,  Philip  Nation,  David  Lewis,  J.  T.  Donahew, 
E.  C.  Gavitt,  and  Stephen  M.  Merrill.  Two  of  these 
ministers  have  since  been  made  bishops,  but  for  some 
cause  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  has  never  ap- 
peared to  prosper  in  Granville  as  in  other  localities 
with  less  advantages.  And  yet  there  are  but  few  places 
in  Ohio  where  they  have  furnished  more  useful  young 
men  as  ministers  at  an  early  day,  when  the  field  was 
large  and  the  laborers  but  few.  Granville  and  its 
vicinity  have  given  to  the  Church  such  men  as  Con- 
stant Jones,  Samuel  Cooper,  Areza  Brown,  Jacob 
Martin,  Jefferson  Babcock,  Ezekiel  S.  Gavitt,  William 
Sprague,  Joseph  McDowell,  Orren  Mitchell,  Wesley 
Clark,  Benedict  Belt,  Cyrus  Brooks,  John  H.  Pitezell, 
Richard  Doughty,  John  White,  Anson  Brooks,  Zul- 
mon  Johnson,  Reuben  Blood,  A.  M.  Alexander,  and 
others  of  a  later  date.  Some  of  these  men  entered 
the  mission  field,  others  went  West.  Some  are  dead, 
others  superannuated,  and  a  few  are  still  in  the  ef- 
fective work.     These  were  men   from  the  common 


EARLY  SETTLEMENT  OF  GRANVILLE.  55 

avocations  in  life,  without  the  advantages  of  a  diploma. 
Men  of  honest  convictions  who  felt  that  they  were 
called  of  God,  and  were  ready  to  make  any  sacrifice 
for  the  sake  of  winning  souls  to  Christ,  and  there  are 
but  few  men  at  this  day,  with  all  of  their  educational 
advantages,  that  could  excel  them  as  to  usefulness  or 
ministerial  ability.  Hundreds  and  thousands  have 
been  awakened  and  have  been  converted  under  their 
ministry,  and  their  names  are  still  precious  in  the 
memory  of  the  good  and  their  reward  is  on  high. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


EARLY      CONSECRATION. 


Governor  Briggs,  of  Massachusetts,  relates  the  fol- 
lowing incident :  After  reading- with  great  interest 
the  letters  of  John  Quincy  Adams'  mother,  he  one 
day  went  over  to  his  seat  in  Congress,  and  said  to 
him,  "Mr.  Adams,  I  have  found  out  who  made  you." 
"  What  do  you  mean  ?"  said  he.  "  I  have  been  read- 
ing the  letters  of  your  mother,"  was  the  reply.  With 
a  flashing  eye  and  glowing  countenance  Mr.  Adams 
started  up,  and  in  his  peculiar  and  emphatic  manner, 
said.  "  Yes,  Briggs,  all  that  is  good  in  me  I  owe  to 
ray  mother."  And  with  propriety  I  might  say  the 
same.  My  father  had  been  a  skeptical  lawyer,  my 
mother  an  Old  School  Presbyterian  and  had  been 
educated  in  all  the  peculiarities  of  that  Church  and  as 
a  consistent  Christian,  she  had  all  of  her  children 
christened  in  their  infancy,  and  I  am  a  firm  believer 
in  that  kind  of  consistency.  As  parents  we  cannot 
convert  our  children,  but  we  can  throw  around  them 
such  influences  as  may  be  the  means  of  their  salva- 
tion. Then  let  parents  do  their  duty  towards 
their  children,  and  leave  the  event  with  God.  It 
was  by  the  side  of  this  Christian  mother,  and  re- 

(56) 


EARLY  CON  SK(  RATION.  57 

clining  my  head  upon  her  lap,  with  her  hand  upon  my 
head,  I  was  taught  to  say  the  Lord's  Prayer  and  the 
child's  verse,  "Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep,"  and  from 
that  day  to  the  present  I  have  never  failed  to  repeat 
these  prayers  before  closing  my  e\^es  to  sleep  at 
night.  The  first  permanent  religious  impression 
made  upon  my  mind  was  when  I  was  six  years  of 
age,  attending  Church  in  the  house  of  Deacon  Thurs- 
tin.  At  the  close  of  the  sermon  an  invitation  was 
given  to  all  who  desired  the  prayers  of  the  Church  to 
manifest  it  by  coming  forward  and  kneeling  at  what 
was  termed  the  mourners  bench.  Standing  by  the 
side  of  my  now  sainted  mother,  and  leaning  upon 
her  lap,  I  felt  convicted  that  I  had  done  many  things 
that  were  wrong,  and  asked  my  mother  if  I  might 
go  and  kneel  with  others,  and  I  almost  fancy  I  can 
feel  the  warm  hand  of  that  precious  sainted  mother, 
as  she  laid  it  upon  my  head  and  the  tears  upon  my 
cheek  as  she  pressed  my  lips,  and  said,  "yes,  go,  my 
child,  and  may  God  go  with  you."  Some  six  weeks 
after  this  on  a  beautiful  Sabbath  day,  during  the  ab- 
sense  of  my  parents  while  at  church,  I  retired  to  my 
father's  log-barn,  and  behind  a  few  bundles  of  straw 
I  knelt  whera  no  eye  save  that  of  God  could  see  me, 
and  in  humble  faith  asked  that  blessed  Saviour  who 
made  his  first  appearance  in  a  stable,  to  come  and 
forgive  all  my  sins.  There  and  then  I  saw  his 
smiling  countenance,  and  heard  the  whispering  voice 


58  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

saying,  "Child,  thy  sins  are  all  forgiven  thee,  arise 
and  go  in  peace,  for  thy  faith  has  made  thee  whole." 
When  I  returned  to  the  house,  I  met  my  mother  at 
the  door  and  stated  what  the  Lord  had  done  forme. 
The  joy  was  so  great  she  swooned  and  fell.  My 
father  laid  her  upon  the  bed.  When  consciousness 
returned  she  exclaimed, 

'"The  Lord  hath  heard  my  prayer  and  granted  me 
the  desire  of  my  heart."" 

Samuel's  mother  consecrated  him  in  childhood  and 
prayed  that  as  long  as  he  lived  he  should  be  lent  to 
the  Lord,  and  it  is  said  the  Lord  granted  her  peti- 
tion. 

I  have  often  felt,  that  like  Samuel,  my  mother 
had  consecrated  me  to  God  and  the  work  of  the  min- 
istery  should  it  be  the  will  of  her  Heavenly  Father, 
and  the  prayers  of  this  devoted  mother  before  the 
Lord,  had  much  to  do  iu  keeping  my  feet  from  fall- 
ing, and  my  heart  near  to  God  until  I  entered  upon 
the  work  of  the  ministry. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

MY  FIRST  ATTEMPT  TO  PREACH. 

In  the  summer  of  1810,  this  being  the  eleventh  year 

of  my  age,  I  attended  a  quartsrly  meeting  among  the 

Methodists  upon  the  South  Fork  of  Licking  creek.    It 

was  a  beautiful  summer  day  in  August.     The  people 

were  coming  from  far  and  near  on  Sabbath  morning 

to  attend  the  Love  Feast,  which  was  at  that  day  the 

great  attraction  of  the  quarterly  occasion,  and  was 

to  commence  precisely  at  9  o'clock.     However,  none 

were  admitted  without  a  ticket  or  a  note  of  admission, 

and  none  were  permitted  to  enter — presiding  elder, 

minister  or  member — after  the  hour  had  arrived  and 

the  door  had  been  closed.     Some  fifty  or  sixty  male 

and  female  members  and  others  were  too  late,  and 

were  complaining  of  such  a  usage  as  they  would 

have  to  remain  out  until  the  eleven  o'clock  sermon, 

the  hour  for  public  worship.     I  proposed  to  preach 

for  them,  provided  they  would  accept  of  my  services, 

to  which  they  readily  consented,  as  many  of  these 

persons  were  well  acquainted  with  me  and  knew  that 

I  had  been  preparing  for  the  ministry.     Taking  my 

stand  upon  a  horse-block  a  short  distance  from  the 

log   church,  so  as  not    to  interfere  with  the  Love 

(59) 


GO  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

Feast  I  announced  my  text:  "  The  Lord  said  unto 
Samuel,  look  not  on  his  countenance  or  the  height  of 
his  stature,  for  the  Lord  seeth  not  as  man  seeth,  for 
man  looketh  upon  the  outward  appearance,  but  the 
Lord  looketh  on  the  heart.'' — /.  Sam.,  xvi.,  7. 

Doubtless,  there  was  some  sympathy  for  my  youth- 
ful appearance,  and  prayers  for  my  success,  and  God 
was  pleased  to  own  my  first  effort.  A  young  lady 
by  the  name  of  Eva  Channel],  commenced  crying  for 
mercy  before  I  had  finished  my  discourse,  and  soon 
after  was  converted,  and  became  the  wife  of  a  Metho- 
dist minister  in  the  South  by  the  name  of  Chad  wick. 
Prom  that  time  I  commenced  holding  meetings  in 
the  rural  settlements,  and  preaching  without  taking 
text,  as  this  would  have  been  objectionable  to  the 
economy  of  the  Church  to  which  I  belonged. 

During  this  time  I  wrote  many  sermons  principally 
upon  doctrinal  subjects,  one  of  which  was  published 
on  the  perseverance  of  the  saints,  founded  upon  the 
saying  of  our  Lord.  "  Because  I  live  ye  shall  live 
also.'"  This  sermon  was  supposed  to  be  unanswer- 
able, but  it  would  hardly  pass  muster  at  this  day. 

Having  studied  theology  with  my  excellent  pastor, 
Jacob  Little,  in  my  fourteenth  year  I  received  a 
permit  to  improve  in  public  as  a  licentiate,  not  how- 
ever, without  some  disatisfactionas  to  my  youth  and 
want  of  experience.  It  was  not  long  before  com- 
plaints were  entered  that  I  was  too  zealous  and  not 


MY  FIRST  ATTEMPT  TO  PBKA.CH.  01 

altogether  orthodox,  and  I  was  more  of  a  Methodist 
than  a  Presbyterian.  I  concluded  that  they  were 
about  right,  and  that  honesty  was  the  best  policy. 
Although  I  loved  the  Church  and  my  pastor,  not  be- 
ing disposed  to  afflict  the  feelings  of  my  Calvinistic 
brethren  who  had  been  kind  and  tender  towards  me 
in  childhood  and  in  youth,  I  now  applied  for  a  letter 
and  an  honorable  dismission  from  the  Church,  which 
was  granted.  I  still  have  the  letter  in  my  possession, 
signed  by  the  secretary,  Deacon  Samuel  Bancroft, 
also  the  Bible  which  was  given  to  ma  at  the  same 
time  by  Deacon  Winchel,  of  precious  memory,  and 
in  this  Bible  I  have  more  than  a  thousand  verses 
marked,  from  which  I  have  attempted  to  preach 
during  the  sixty  years  of  my  ministry,  and  have 
made  a  practice  of  reading  this  Bible  through  every 
year  since  it  was  presented  to  me  by  this  special 
friend,  and  had  the  Church  at  that  early  day  been  as 
liberal  and  consistent  as  to  election  and  reprobation 
as  at  this  day,  I  presume  I  should  have  remained  in 
the  Church  of  my  early  choice.  But  if  God  from  all 
eternity  had  fixed  the  future  destiny  of  all  mankind 
either  to  happiness  or  misery,  and  their  number  so 
definite  they  could  not  be  added  too,  or  diminished 
from,  I  felt  that  preaching  was  a  humbug  and  an 
imposition  to  the  sinner. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

CALVINISM    AND    EARLY    CONTROVERSY. 

During  the  last  fifty  years  a  very  great  change 
has  taken  place  ;  and  there  is  less  controversy  now 
upon  the  subject  of  election  and  reprobation,  or 
Arminianisra,  which  in  the  early  part  of  my  ministry 
was  the  Alpha  and  Omega.  The  following  will 
somewhat  illustrate  the  mode  of  controversy  upon 
the  favorite  theory  of  the  unconditional  persever- 
ance of  the  saints  : — 

Mr.  Oaughman,  an  Old  School  Calvinist  of  the 
Puritan  faith,  preaching  in  the  presence  of  Mr.  J. 
Mitchell,  a  Methodist  minister,  illustrated  his  subject 
in  the  following  manner : — 

"A  maiden  lady  had  gone  out  to  make  some  calls, 

and  upon  returning  in  the  evening  found  that  her 

favorite    lamb   was    missing.      Search    was    made 

through  the  house  and  yard  for  the  lamb,  but  all  to 

no  effect ;  the  lamb  was  not  to  be  found,  hence  she 

concluded  that  it  was  either  lost,  dead,  or  had  strayed 

away.     As  her   last  hope  she  commenced  calling, 

*  Polly,  my  dear,  Polly,   if  you  are  alive,  do  come.' 

Her  sweet  voice  was  heard,  and  Polly  came  running 

and  went  bah,  bah,  and  was  just  as  well  as    ever. 

From  this  vou  see  my  dear  brethren  it  was  not  lost, 

(62) 


CALVINISM  AND  EARLY  CONTROVERSY.        63 

or  dead,  but  was  under  the  bed  asleep.  So  it  is  with 
many  Christians  ;  they  may  fall  into  sin  and  may  do 
many  wicked  things,  and  become  .somewhat  indiffer- 
ent in  regard  to  the  interests  of  the  Church  or  their 
obligations  to  God,  but  if  they  have  ever  been  con- 
verted, their  spiritual  lives  will  still  remain  and  they 
cannot  die  or  fall  from  grace.  When  aroused  by  the 
Great  Shepherd's  voice  they  will  come  at  his  call, 
although  they  may  have  been  asleep  for  a  while.  So 
you  see,  my  dear  brethren,  that  the  Methodist  doc- 
trine as  to  falling  from  grace,  is  false,  and  a  dangerous 
doctrine  to  believe." 

Soon  after  this  Mr.  Mitchell  wras  called  upon  to 
reply,  at  the  same  log  school-house,  and  principally 
to  the  same  congregation,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Caughman 
being  present ;  and  now  the  peculiarities  of  Method- 
ism became  the  order  of  the  day.  Mr.  Mitchell  tak- 
ing the  pet  lamb  for  his  illustration  to  show  the 
absurdity  of  Calvinism. 

The  shepherd  during  the  day  had  grazed  his  flock 
upon  the  green  pastures  in  the  valley  ;  in  the  even- 
ing he  had  removed  them  to  the  hill  top  as  a  place 
of  safety  against  the  approaching  storm,  but  unfor- 
tunately his  pet  lamb  had  strayed  from  the  fold  and 
had  lain  down  and  gone  to  sleep.  Returning  to  the 
pasture  in  search  of  his  lamb,  he  found  it  standing 
by  a  bush  and  bleating  most  pitifully  for  something 
to  eat.  The  shepherd  said  to  the  lamb,  "why  don't 
you  eat  grass  ?"     Still  it  continued  to  cry  for  milk  ; 


64  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

the  sheoherd  toid  the  lamb  to  eat  browse,  but  in  vain, 
it  still  continued  to  cry  for  milk.  He  now  concluded 
that  he  would  take  it  to  the  fold  and  provide  it  with 
suitable  nourishment,  but  it  evaded  his  pursuit.  He 
called  it  loud  and  long,  "  Polly,  Polly ;  oh  !  my  dear 
precious  Polly,  do  come  to  me,1'  but  still  it  pursued  its 
onward  course,  going  still  further  away  until  the 
shepherd  left  it  and  went  back  again  to  his  fold.  The 
next  morning  he  started  bright  and  early  to  see  what 
had  become  of  his  pet  lamb,  thinking  by  this  time  it 
had  become  satisfied  with  its  wanderings  and  obsti- 
nacy ;  but  what  was  his  surprise  instead  of  finding 
Polly,  as  he  had  hoped,  under  the  bush  asleep,  or 
taking  its  pleasure  or  comfort  among  the  beautiful 
flowers  and  luxurious  grasses,  behold  it  was  cold  and 
dead.  He  called,  and  called,  loud  and  long,  "Polly, 
oh  !  my  dear  precious  Polly,  do  come  to  me,"  but 
Polly's  voice  was  hushed  in  death.  He  stirred  it 
with  his  shepherd's  crook,  but  there  were  no  signs 
of  life;  he  pitied  its  folly  and  ,its  obstinacy,  and 
looking  upon  its  lifeless  remains  said,  "you are  dead, 
that  is  certain  ;  but  you  never  were  alive,  and  you 
never  were  a  sheep  or  anything  like  a  sheep  ;  if  you 
had  been  you  never  would  have  died  ;  there  would 
have  been  a  spark  of  life  still  remaining  and  you 
would  have  listened  to  my  voice  and  come  at  my 
call,  and  some  day  you  might  have  been  a  noble 
sheep,  perhaps  a  Deacon  or  an  Elder  in  the  Church. 
The  congregation  was  not  slow  in  comprehending 


CALVINISM  AND  EARLY  CONTROVERSY.  65 

the  meaning  of  the  two  parables,  or  the  application 
of  his  subject.  I  am  pleased  to  say  the  controversy 
closed,  and  these  honored  divines  remained  friends, 
and  have  long-  since  departed  this  life  and  have  gone 
to  try  the  merits  of  their  theology,  and  peace  be  to 
their  memory. 

A  better  day  has  dawned  upon  the  Church ;  con- 
troversy has  in  a  measure  ceased,  and  all  denomina- 
tions are  less  disposed  to  bring  their  artillery  to  bear 
upon  each  other.  Surely  if  this  world  is  ever 
redeemed  to  God  all  bigotry  and  superstition  must  be 
laid  aside,  and  Christ's  Universal  Church  must  march 
out  upon  the  broad  platform  of  Christianity,  until 
they  form  one  solid  phalanx,  then  at  the  command 
of  their  Divine  Master,  the  captain  of  our  salvation, 
who  has  said,  "  he  that  is  not  for  me  is  against  me." 
As  the  honored  disciples  of  Christ,  let  them  pour 
their  artillery  into  the  ranks  of  the  enemy  until  in- 
fidelity and  skepiticism  of  every  shape  and  kind  is 
routed,  and  the  universal  triumph  of  the  Gospel  of 
the  Son  of  God  spreads  from  land  to  land,  and  from 
sea  to  sea.  Then  may  it  be  said,  and  only  then,  that 
the  Church  of  Christ  is  coming  up  out  of  the  wilder- 
ness, leaning  upon  her  beloved,  fair  as  the  sun,  clear 
as  the  moon,  and  terrible  as  an  army  with  banners, 
"  while  all  Heaven  will  join  in  the  song  of  praise," 
"  How  good  and  pleasant  it  is  for  brethren  to  dwell 
in  unity." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


CHURCH    RELATION. 


A  few  weeks  after  I  received  my  letter  from  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  I  united  with  the  Methodist 
Church  in  Granville,  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev. 
Abner  Gaugh,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Ohio,  whose 
fame  was  in  all  the  churches.  But  in  afterlife,  being 
unfortunate  in  his  temporal  matters,  and  suffering 
by  an  undutiful  son,  he  became  somewhat  deranged, 
and  at  last  died  in  the  lunatic  asylum  at  Columbus, 
Ohio,  in  hopes  of  immortality  and  eternal  life.  By 
the  consent  of  the  class  in  Granville,  I  received  my 
first  license  to  exhort,  and  at  the  ensuing  Quarterly 
Conference  upon  the  Granville  Circuit,  I  received 
my  first  license  to  preach.  My  knowledge  of  Meth- 
odism or  Methodist  economy  was  quite  limited, 
although  I  had  been  somewhat  acquainted  with  the 
ministry  and  membership  of  the  Church.  My  father 
had  made  a  profession  of  religion,  and  at  this  time 
his  house  and  home  had  become  a  preaching  place, 
and  was  frequently  visited  by  the  early  pioneer 
ministers  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  I 
have  heard  my  mother  say  that  Bishop  Asbury,  had 
held  me  on  his  knee  in  earlv  life,  and  had  given  me 

(66) 


CHURCH  RELATION.  67 

several  presents  appropriate  for  a  child  of  my  age, 
and  I  still  have  some  remembrance  how  he  looked, 
and  his  grave  and  dignified  appearance. 

This  was  one  of  the  pecularities  of  the  early  itin- 
eracy, and  it  was  useless  for  the  minister  to  expect 
the  friendship  and  appreciation  of  the  hostess,  un- 
less he  paid  some  attention  to  the  children,  and  gave 
his  opinion  as  to  their  future  prospects. 

I  must  say  it  was  among  the  most  embarrassing 
features  connected  with  my  early  itinerac}^,  to  kiss 
all  the  children,  and  examine  their  heads,  and  give 
my  opinion  as  to  their  future  usefulness,  whether 
they  would  make  doctors,  lawyers  or  ministers.  I 
remember  meeting  one  of  the  appointments  on  the 
first  round  on  the  charge,  where  everything  about 
the  house  appeared  most  forbidding.  The  thought 
of  having  to  spend  the  night  there,  and  go  through 
the  programme  of  attention  to  the  children,  which 
would  naturally  be  required,  having  to  kiss  all  of 
them  and  examine  their  heads,  was  something  more 
than  1  was  disposed  to  do,  unless  there  was  some  im- 
provement. The  first  little  fellow  that  approached 
me  with  outstretched  arms,  was  fearfully  dirty,  and 
now  reminds  me  of  my  new  conference  suit  of  clothes, 
with  the  smear  and  finger  marks  he  placed  upon  them. 
I  proposed  to  give  the  little  fellow  a  sixpence  if  he 
would  go  and  wash  his  hands  and  face.  Then  a  little 
girl  appeared  of  some  seven  or  eight  years  of  age; 
I  proposed  to  give  her  a  shilling  if  she  would  go  and 


68  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

do  the  same.  Soon  after  another  one  appeared  of 
some  twelve  years  of  age  ;  I  proposed  to  give  her 
twenty-five  cents  if  she  would  go  and  do  the  same. 
By  this  time  the  mother  appeared  and  said  to 
me,  "  You  must  have  more  money  than  the 
most  of  our  preachers;  they  are  forever  complaining 
of  their  poverty."  I  stated  to  her  that  f  had  but 
little,  but  was  disposed  to  invest  that  to  the  very  best 
advantage,  and  if  she  would  go  and  wash  her  face 
and  hands  and  comb  her  hair,  I  would  give  her  fifty 
cents.  By  this  time  the  fire  commenced  to  fly  ;  mat- 
ters and  things  were  getting  badly  mixed  up.  Fear- 
ing my  quarters  for  the  night  might  be  too  warm, 
when  her  husband  returned  home  from  hunting,  I 
settled  the  bill  with  the  children,  and  left  an  appoint- 
ment for  my  colleague,  and  that  afternoon  and 
evening  I  rode  fifteen  miles  to  my  next  appointment, 
and  then  wrote  to  my  colleague,  "  If  you  propose  to 
preach  at  Binkley's,  you  had  better  arrange  your  ap- 
pointment for  Friday,  and  keep  that  as  a  day  of  fast- 
ing and  prayer,  and  be  sure  not  to  leave  any  appoint- 
ment at  that  place  for  me.  Being  required  by  the 
discipline  of  the  Church  to  recommend  cleanliness 
wherever  we  go,  and  not  having  attempted  this  be- 
fore, perhaps  I  may  have  overdone  the  thing.  Please 
inform  me  how  matters  and  things  are  at  Binkley's." 
I  have  heard  that  lightning  struck  that  place  when 
the  old  man  returned  home  from  hunting  the  evening 
after  I  left,  "  and  I  narrowly  escaped  with  my  scalp." 


CHURCH  RELATION.  69 

In  the  early  part  of  my  ministry  I  was  frequently 
solicited  and  even  urged  to  join  Conference,  and 
commence  in  the  regular  work  of  the  itineracy. 
Ministers  being  less  numerous  at  that  day  than  at 
present  and  new  fields  of  usefulness  constantly  open- 
ing requiring  ministerial  supplies.  The  itineracy 
did  not  impress  me  favorably;  I  could  not  see  how  a 
young  man  could  live  on  one  hundred  dollars  a  year, 
this  being  the  amount  allowed  for  his  support,  and 
seldom  receiving  more  than  two-thirds  of  that.  I 
now  opened  a  hatter's  shop,  a  business  with  which  I 
have  been  partially  acquainted.  The  manufacturing 
of  wide  brimmed  white  fur  hats,  made  of  otter  or 
beaver,  was  by  no  means  unprofitable,  being  worth 
from  eight  to  ten  dollars  apiece,  and  these  being 
essential  requisities  for  a  Quaker  or  a  Methodist  min- 
ister, as  much  so  as  the  round-breasted  coat ;  and  all 
Methodist  divines,  young  or  old,  were  expected  to 
conform  to  this  established  usage,  which  was  a 
characteristic  of  plainness  and  neatness,  by  which 
they  were  easily  distinguished,  so  much  so,  it  has 
been  said  that  even  chickens  could  recognize  them, 
and  as  they  approached  the  farm  house  these  domes- 
tics would  make  for  the  barn  or  coop,  and  stand 
there  with  tears  in  their  eves  until  the  honored  di- 
vines departed.  This  plainness  was  also  observed  by 
the  entire  membership, — the  ladies'  dove-colored 
Quaker  bonnet  was  considered  essential. 


CHAPTER  XYII. 

MYSTERIOUS    LEADINGS    OF    PROVIDENCE. 

Sitting  in  my  office  preparing  for  the  duties  of  the 
day,  a  tall  spare  man  made  his  appearance,  being 
well  dressed  in  a  Methodist  minister's  costume,  grave 
and  dignified.     Said  this  stranger: — 

"  Are  you  the  young  man  who  has  lately  united 
with  the  Methodist  Episcopial  Church  in  this  place?" 

"  I  presume  I  am  the  person  to  whom  you  refer." 

"Well,  }Toung  man,  I  have  a  message  from  God  to 
you,  and  have  come  this  morning  to  deliver  it.  I 
want  you  to  be  ready  to  start  with  me  on  next  Mon- 
day morning  at  seven  o'clock,  for  Detroit,  Michigan. 
The  Lord  has  a  work  for  you  to  do  and  you  must  do 
it." 

"  As  far  as  I  now  can  see,  it  will  be  impossible  to 
prepare  for  such  a  journey,  within  two  da\Ts,  if  at 
all." 

"I  have  delivered  my  message  and  shall  call  for 
you  on  Monday  morning ;  my  name  is  Arza  Brown, 
a  Methodist  minister,  stationed  at  Detroit,  Michi- 
gan." 

He  then  departed  as  suddenly  and  as  unexpectedly 
as  he  had  entered  my  office.     Feeling  sad  and  some- 

(70) 


MYSTERIOUS  LEADINGS  OF  PROVIDENCE.  71 

what  frustrated,  meditating  upon  the  man  and  his 
message,  I  concluded  to  take  a  walk  into  the  town 
or  the  more  central  part  of  the  village,  and  try  to  dis- 
pel the  gloomy  impression  from  my  mind,  being 
more  or  less  convicted  as  to  my  duty  and  what  God 
had  required  of  me. 

I  had  not  proceeded  far  before  Mr.  Bessa,  a  mem- 
ber from  the  country,  with  whom  I  was  acquainted, 
hailed  me  and  wished  to  know  if  I  did  not  want  to 
purchase  a  horse.  He  had  a  fine  small  animal 
which  would  be  suitable  for  a  person  of  my  size,  but 
was  not  large  enough  for  his  farming  purposes.  The 
horse  was  presented  for  inspection ;  it  was  a  beautiful 
bay  animal,  well  broke,  and  racked  as  easily  as  a 
cradle,  and  a  suitable  age  for  traveling.  I  could  not 
have  been  better  pleased,  but  had  not  enough  money 
on  hand  to  make  the  purchase.  This  brother  in- 
formed me  I  could  have  the  horse  for  thirty-five  dol- 
lars, payable  in  six  months,  my  note,  with  interest. 
The  purchase  was  made  and  the  horse  put  away  and 
suitably  provided  for.  Horses  at  that  early  day 
were  cheap  and  more  plentiful  than  money  to  pur- 
chase ;  most  of  the  business  transactions  were  done 
by  the  way  of  trade. 

I  now  started  once  more  to  take  a  walk 
through  the  place,  but  had  not  gone  far  when  Mr. 
Elsworth  hailed  me,  wishing  to  know  if  I  would  ex- 
change some  hats  for  his  work,  as  he  had  a  place 


72  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

where  he  could  dispose  of  some.  I  stated  I  would 
be  pleased  to  do  so  providing*  he  had  on  hand  such 
things  as  I  wanted.  I  had  just  purchased  a  horse 
and  would  be  glad  to  get  a  saddle,  bridle,  halter  and 
saddle  bags;  all  of  these  he  had  on  hand  and  of  a 
superior  quality. 

The  exchange  was  made  and  I  now  concluded  to 
visit  the  home  of  my  parents  and  make  my  errand 
known  to  them,  and  especially  to  my  mother, 
who  from  childhood  had  been  my  counsellor  and 
spiritual  adviser.  On  entering  the  house  she  was 
pleased  to  see  me.  I  had  just  come  in  time, 
as  she  had  been  preparing  some  underclothes  for  me, 
such  as  stockings,  shirts  and  some  other  articles,  and 
was  about  to  send  them,  as  she  supposed  they  would 
be  very  acceptable.  I  could  hardly  suppress  my 
feelings,  and  gave  way  to  tears ;  so  strange  had  been 
the  dealings  of  Providence,  and  so  mysteriously  had 
I  been  led.  I  opened  my  heart  to  my  mother,  and 
stated  all  that  had  transpired.  My  parents  were 
well  acquainted  with  Mr.  Brown,  as  a  man  and  min- 
ister, and  as  a  special  friend  to  the  family.  I  could 
not  be  placed  in  safer  hands,  or  have  a  truer  friend, 
as  to  my  personal  interest ;  but  as  the  health  of  my 
mother  was  precarious,  and  with  her  present  affliction 
could  not  live  much  longer,  and  I  being  the  youngest 
of  the  family  then  living,  it  would  have  been  a  great 
pleasure  to  her  could  I  have  remained  and  still  con- 


MYSTERIOUS  LEADINGS  OF  PROVIDENCE.  73 

tinued  in  business.  But  if  it  was  the  will  of  God 
and  my  duty  she  had  no  more  to  say,  as  she  could 
not  live  long  to  enjoy  my  society,  her  only  rest 
would  be  with  her  family  in  Heaven ;  while  on 
earth  her  prayers  would  follow  me,  and  she  had  no 
doubt  but  that  a  mother's  God  would  take  care  of 
me ;  she  hoped  I  would  be  faithful,  and  worthy  of 
Brother  Brown's  confidence  ;  and  I  must  write  often, 
as  they  would  be  anxious  to  hear  from  me. 

I  now  made  out  a  schedule  of  all  my  temporal 
affairs  and  handed  it  to  my  father,  requesting  him 
to  dispose  of  all  my  effects  as  best  he  could,  as  I 
should  not  want  them  any  more.  I  was  now  deter- 
mined to  devote  my  life  to  the  ministry,  riches  or 
poverty,  life  or  death.  I  would  confide  in  Him  who 
has  said  for  my  encouragement :  "  Lo,  I  am  with 
you  always." 

On  Monday  morning  I  was  equipped  with  a  com- 
plete outfit,  Bible,  Hymn  Book,  Discipline,  Fletcher's 
Appeal  and  Baxter's  Call.  This  constituted,  at  that 
day,  a  Methodist  minister's  library,  ^and  all  his 
saddle  bags  would  well  contain;  and  when  night 
came,  or  wherever  he  might  put  up  for  the  night,  he 
was  prepared  to  set  up  his  entire  establishment  and 
commence  business.  I  had  been  in  the  habit  of 
writing  my  sermons,  the  question  now  with  me  was 
whether  I  could  learn  to  extemporize.  I  had  taken 
a  few  of  my  manuscripts  to  commence  with,  and 


74  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

trusted  that  I  might  improve  as  I  attempted  to 
speak  extemporaneously.  I  still  write  my  sermons 
in  full,  but  from  that  day  to  the  present  I  have  never 
taken  a  manuscript  or  any  notes  with  me  into  the 
pulpit,  unless  it  was  on  some  special  occasion,  refer- 
ring to  names  or  dates,  and  still  believe  this  is 
preferable  to  any  other  course  in  sermonizing.  The 
mind  untrammeled  under  the  inspiration  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  will  suggest  new  thoughts  more  forcible  and 
impressive  than  under  any  other  circumstances,  and 
such  as  are  calculated  to  carry  home  to  the  heart 
and  conscience  Divine  truth.  Some  of  my  best 
efforts  have  been  under  the  inspiration  of  God's  holy 
spirit,  and  but  few  ministers  have  had  greater  suc- 
cess in  winning  souls  to  Christ. 

INCIDENTS    ON    THE   WAY   TO    DETROIT. 

On  Monday  morning  at  the  appointed  time  my 
guide  and  spiritual  counsellor  was  on  hand,  as  stated, 
bidding  farewell  to  friends  and  home,  we  started  for 
Detroit,  Michigan,  the  place  of  our  destination,  the 
last  week  in  September,  1828.  We  reached  Dela- 
ware, Ohio,  the  first  day  and  remained  over  night 
with  a  Methodist  family  by  the  name  of  Switzer,  the 
honored  parents  of  Lawyer  Switzer.  Delaware  was 
a  small  village  and  with  but  few  inhabitants.  Meth- 
odism had  been  planted  in  this  place  in  1812;  in  1828, 
the  Church  consisted  of   fortv-six  members:    Kevs. 


MYSTERIOUS  LEADINGS  OF  PROVIDENCE.  75 

James  Gilruth  and  Cyrus  Carpenter  were  the  pastors 
on  this  charge,  which  extended  over  a  large  terri- 
tory. The  next  day  we  reached  Marion,  the  coun- 
ty seat,  and  put  up  for  the  night  with  Judge 
Anderson,  a  kind  family  of  precious  memory.  I 
preached  at  night  to  a  small  congregation,  in  a  school 
house,  with  some  degree  of  interest  and  acceptability 
to  the  people ;  this  being  my  first  attempt  in  my  new 
relation  in  the  itineracy.  Marion  was  an  enterpris- 
ing little  village  with  some  five  hundred  inhabitants, 
and  was  included  in  the  Delaware  circuit,  with  a 
small  membership  in  this  village. 

The  next  day  we  reached  Upper  Sandusky,  and 
put  up  for  the  night  with  Mr.  Walker,  who  kept  a 
house  of  entertainment.  This  was  a  small  Indian 
village,  with  but  few  white  inhabitants.  Mr.  Sweet, 
the  shoemaker,  and  Mr.  Lewis,  the  blacksmith,  with 
a  few  other  families,  connected  with  the  Wyandottes, 
the  Armstrongs,  Walkers,  Garriets  and  a  few  others. 
Having  a  desire  to  become  better  acquainted  with 
the  Indian  character,  and  the  condition  of  the 
missionary  work  of  this  place,  we  remained  a  few 
days,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  receiving  the  hospi- 
tality of  William  Walker  and  his  excellent  family. 
Mrs.  Walker  was  a  white  woman,  and  formerly  had 
been  a  school  teacher  at  this  mission,  and  was  de- 
cidedly a  splendid  lady.  Some  of  her  relatives  are 
still  living  in  Hardin  county,  Ohio,  by  the  name  of 


76  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

Smiley  ;  all  of  whom  were  from  Zanesville,  Ohio,  and 
Mrs.  "Walker  was  a  relative  of  David  Young,  of 
pioneer  fame.  During  the  time  we  remained  at 
this  place,  we  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  with  the 
Chiefs  in  their  council,  and  with  several  other 
prominent  members  of  the  Church.  Brother  Brown 
and  nrvself  alternately  preached  every  night,  at  the 
log  mission  house,  standing  on  the  bank  of  the  San- 
dusky river.  Rev.  Thomas  Thompson  was  the  mis- 
sionary at  this  place,  an  excellent  Christian  brother, 
formerly  from  England,  being  endowed  with  the 
missionary  spirit,  and  appeared  to  be  delighted  with 
his  work. 

On  Friday  we  started  for  Tiffin,  and  remained 
over  night  with  Esq.  Ebbert  and  his  family,  and 
were  kindly  entertained.  Rev.  Alvin  Billings  was 
the  pastor  on  this  charge,  which  at  that  time  was 
designated  as  the  Sandusky  circuit,  including  a  large 
field  of  labor,  extending  into  what  is  now  Ottawa 
county. 

Tiffin  was  an  enterprising  county  seat,  and  was 
principally  inhabited  with  Mary  landers,  many  of 
whom  were  Methodists,  decided  and  consistant  Christ- 
ians, possessing  wealth  and  influence.  This  place 
has  always  been,  and  will  continue  to  be  a  prominent 
place  for  Methodism,  and  a  delightful  charge  for  the 
pastor  and  his  family. 

On  Saturday  we  reached  Lower  Sandusky,  now 


MYSTERIOUS  LEADINGS  OF  PROVIDENCE.  7  I 

Fremont,  and  there  being-  but  few  members  in  the 
place,  we  rode  a  few  miles  into  the  country,  and  put 
up  with  Jacob  Bowlus  for  the  night.  He  and  his 
family  were  living  at  that  time  on  what  was  called 
Muskallonge,  a  small  stream  of  water  near  his  house. 
I  understand  this  excellent  brother  is  still  living, 
and  now  resides  in  Fremont,  as  the  honored  patri- 
arch of  Methodism. 

Lower  Sandusky  had  been  supplied  with  the  min- 
istry of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  as  early  as 
1818,  from  the  Ohio  Huron  Mission,  which  included 
a  very  extensive  territory,  and  was  this  year  supplied 
with  John  Brook,  as  pastor;  in  1819,  with  William 
Westlake.  This  brother  preached  in  all  the  towns 
and  rural  settlements,  made  accessible,  and  was  the 
first  minister  who  visited  and  preached  in  Tiffin, 
Portland,  Lower  Sandusky,  Pryor  neighborhood 
and  a  few  times  at  Woodville,  Perrysburg  and 
Maumee  City.  In  1820.  Dennis  Goddard  was  sent 
upon  this  charge,  and  as  the  country  had  improved 
Mr.  Goddard  commenced  organizing  the  Church,  and 
established  Methodism  in  Portland,  Nor  walk,  Milan, 
Huron,  Tiffin,  Lower  Sandusky,  Woodville,  Stony 
Ridge,  Prior  settlement,  and  in  what  is  now  Ottawa 
county,  in  the  Day  neighborhood,  Shaw  settlement, 
and  a  few  other  places  between  what  is  now  Oak 
Harbor  and  the  county  seat.  During  his  two  years 
upon  this  charge,  in  1S21  he  returned  a  membership 


78  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

to  conference  of  399.  I  was  well  acquainted  with 
this  excellent  brother  during  his  ministry,  and  his 
impaired  health  in  consequence  of  his  early  itineracy. 
In  1822,  Phillip  Green  was  sent  upon  this  work,  but 
did  not  accomplish  much  in  consequence  of  some 
misfortunes.  During  this  year  he  changed  the  ap- 
pointment at  Lower  Sandusky  from  Sunday  to  Mon- 
day evening,  believing  he  could  be  of  more  use  at 
other  points  on  his  mission.  This  was  the  cause  of 
unpleasant  feelings  on  the  part  of  the  membership  at 
Lower  Sandusky,  and  they  employed  a  local  minister 
to  fill  their  Sabbath  appointment,  by  the  name  of 
James  Montgomery,  the  Indian  Agent  at  Fort 
Seneca.  This  honored  brother,  I  was  well  acquainted 
with,  and  his  ministry  for  several  years.  Broth- 
er Montgomery  died  near  Fort  Ball,  in  1830,  and 
during  thisjyear  the  Sandusky  circuit  was  supplied 
with  Elam  Day  and  Ezekiel  S.  Gavitt.  It  has  been 
stated  by  some  Church  historian,  speaking  of  the 
early  ministry,  in  Fremont,  Ohio,  that  Mr.  Mont- 
gomery's funeral  sermon  was  preached  by  Ezekiel 
Cooper,  the  pastor  on  the  Sandusky  circuit,  in  1830. 
This  is  a  sad  mistake,  as  much  so  as  the  names  of 
the  early  ministers  who  preached  at  Lower  Sandusky, 
and  the  eulogy  this  brother  bestows  upon  Ezekiel 
Cooper  is  all  a  mistake  ;  there  was  no  such  minister  in 
the  Ohio  Conference,  or  any  man  by  this  name  who 
ever  preached  in  Northwestern  Ohio  ;  my  brother 


MYSTERIOUS  LEADINGS  OF  PROVIDENCE.  79 

Ezekiel  may  have  preached  the  funeral  sermon,  but. 
no  man  by  the  name  of  Ezekiel  Cooper.  Those  who 
write  Church  history  should  be  supplied  with  the 
general  minutes  of  annual  conferences. 

There  are  but  few  members  left  as  the  early  plant- 
ing of  Methodism  in  what  is  now  called  Fremont. 
Jacob  Bowlus  the  honored  parent  of  Mrs.  Widow 
Merritt  and  Jemima  Emerson,  are  about  all.  Mrs. 
Emerson's  first  husband  was  Asa  B.  Gavitt.  my 
brother,  who  came  to  Lower  Sandusk}r  soon  after  the 
close  of  the  war  of  1812,  and  opened  the  first  store 
in  that  place,  and  traded  extensively  with  the  In- 
dians. Joel  Asa  Gavitt,  now  of  Fremont,  and  half 
brother  to  the  Emerson  children,  was  my  brother's, 
only  child.  At  the  time  of  my  brother's  death  he 
was  living  with  his  family  on  his  farm,  some  three 
miles  above  Fremont,  near  the  Sandusky  river.  He 
died  on  this  farm,  and  was  buried  in  the  old  cemetery 
near  Fremont.  During  my  visit  to  this  place  in 
1828  I  became  acquainted  with  two  hermits,  who. 
came  to  Sandusky  county  soon  after  the  close  of  the 
war,  and  while  the  northwest  was  principally  a 
wilderness :  Thomas  Fulerton  had  made  him  a  home 
on  my  brother's  farm,  on  the  side  of  a  hill ;  Peter 
Burgon  had  settled  on  the  farm  owned  by  Mr. 
Chamberlin,  and  had  built  him  an  abode  at  the  base 
of  a  high  ridge.  These  two  disappointed  saints 
were  not  on  good  terms,  as  competitors  for  honors,, 


80  CRUMBS    FROM    MY    SADDLE    BAGS. 

they  subsisted  principally  upon  fish  and  vegetables, 
and  were  respected  for  their  moral  honesty  ;  lived 
and  died  near  Fremont,  and  received  an  honorable 
interment,  by  the  early  settlers. 

Myself  and  traveling  companion  remained  in  this 
community  two  days,  visiting  and  praying  with 
the  membership.  On  Sabbath  Brother  Brown 
preached  the  funeral  sermon  of  two  children  of  a 
family  by  the  name  of  Shaw.  They  had  been 
drowned  a  few  days  before  we  arrived  at  Lower 
Sandusky,  and  on  Sabbath  night  I  preached  in  a 
school-house  in  the  village  to  about  all  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  place,  taking  for  my  text :  "  Remem- 
ber now  thy  Creator  in  the  days  of  thy  youth, 
Ecd.  xii.  1."  On  Tuesday  morning,  bright  and 
early,  having  equipped  ourselves  with  a  lunch, 
and  a  few  ears  of  corn  in  our  saddle  bags,  for  our 
horses,  we  started  for  what  was  then  called  Fort 
Meigs,  but  now  Perrysburg,  a  distance  of  some  thirty 
or  forty  miles  through  the  wilderness,  or  the  black 
swamp,  the  road  having  since  been  straightened  and 
shortened  by  the  macadamized  Maumee  pike.  This 
was  a  beautiful  day,  nature  putting  on  her  best  robes 
and  pleasantest  smiles,  and  the  solitude  of  the  forest 
rendered  cheerful  by  the  sweet  and  varied  songs  of 
the  feathered  tribes.  The  monotony  of  our  journey 
was  rendered  pleasant  by  the  flight  of  the  deer, 
aroused  from  their  lairs  or  grazing  places,  and  show- 


MYSTERIOUS  LEADINGS  OF  PROVIDENCE.  81 

ing  their  dexterity  by  leaping  over  the  logs  and 
brush.  Occasionally  we  fell  in  company  with 
bruin.  One  of  these  aged  residenters  was  com- 
fortably located  in  our  path,  bathing  himself  in  the 
light  and  warm  rays  of  the  sun,  quite  unconscious  of 
our  near  approach,  but  evidently  feeling  that  we 
were  intruders  upon  his  quiet  rest.  At  least  such 
were  the  indications  as  he  arose  from  his  leafy  bed, 
and  saluted  us  with  a  growl,  and  an  exhibition  of  his 
ivory,  plainly  indicating  his  resentment,  as  much  as 
to  say,  you  can  pass  safely  providing  you  take  the 
other  side  of  the  road.  We  were  willing  to  compro- 
mise the  matter  with  him  if  he  was  disposed  to  let 
us  quietly  pursue  our  journey.  Toward  sunset  we 
reached  the  Carry  on  river,  a  name  given  by  the 
Indians  at  an  early  day.  During  the  fall  and  spring, 
when  the  river  banks  were  full  and  overflowing,  the 
Indians  had  to  build  what  was  called  a  pontoon 
bridge,  to  carry  over  their  horses,  tents,  canoes  and 
other  equipments.  The  river  now  called  Portage 
was  at  first  called  Carryover  or  Carry  on.  I  have 
seen  the  day  when  this  river  was  spread  out  for  miles 
on  the  low  lands,  rendering  it  dangerous  if  not  im- 
possible for  the  emigrant  or  passing  traveler  to 
cross.  Arriving  at  this  river,  and  finding  no  con- 
venient place  to  ford,  and  night  fast  approaching,  we 
dismounted,  took  refuge  for  the  night  in  a  hunter's 
bark  shanty  which  had  been  vacated.  Tying  our 
6 


82  CRUMBS    FROM    MY    SADDLE    BAGS. 

horses  to  a  tree,  we  partially  supplied  their  wants 
with  the  corn  from  our  saddle  bags,  and  ourselves 
with  the  lunch  we  had  failed  to  eat  at  noon;  the 
night  being  cool,  was  favorable  for  our  horses,  as 
they  had  suffered  during  the  day  by  gnats,  flies  and 
musquitoes;  with  our  saddle  bags  for  pillows, 
blankets  and  over  coats  for  covering,  at  a  suitable 
hour  we  laid  down  to  rest,  hoping  to  dismiss  anxiety 
and  care.  But  in  this  we  wrere  mistaken,  before  we 
had  got  well  composed,  we  were  surrounded  by  a 
drove  of  wolves  advancing  near  our  horses,  and  wre 
were  compelled  to  build  a  fire  to  protect  ourselves 
against  these  intruders.  Without  fee  or  reward,  we 
were  serenaded  until  the  morning  light,  and  the 
howling  was  fearful.  Feeling  the  wants  of  nature, 
we  were  soon  on  our  way  for  Fort  Meigs  and  the 
Maumee  City.  Having  crossed  the  Portage  and  the 
Maumee  at  the  rapids,  and  swimming  our  horses 
across  the  Ten-Mile  Creek,  we  put  up  for  the  night 
with  Eli  Hobard,  and  his  excellent  lady  soon  pro- 
vided for  our  wants,  wiiich  we  thankfully  received. 
My  colleague  had  suffered  some  inconvenience  by 
swimming,  his  pantaloons  being  saturated,  and  his 
boots  filled  with  water,  which  required  some  patience 
and  employment  for  the  evening.  We  remained  with 
this  excellent  family  until  Friday  morning,  resting 
and  recruiting  our  horses.  On  Thursday  evening  I 
preached  to  a  small  congregation  wmo  had  been  in- 


MYSTERIOUS  LEADINGS  OP   PROVIDENCE.  83 

vited  by  our  host  to  spend  the  evening  with  us,  tak- 
ing for  my  text,  "  This  people  shall  be  my  people, 
and  their  God  my  God."  Mr.  Brown  closed  the 
services  with  a  warm  and  thrilling  exhortation. 

The  small  village  at  this  place,  designated  as  the 
Ten-Mile  Creek,  was  soon  after  called  Tremainsville, 
and  now  included  in  the  incorporation  of  the  "future 
great  city."  This  was  decidedly  a  place  of  much 
more  importance  than  Port  Lawrence  or  Vistula 
which  has  since  been  christened  Toledo. 

Methodism  was  established  in  Tremainsville  as 
early  as  1825,  and  the  first  house  for  public  worship, 
by  any  denomination  whatever,  in  northwestern 
Ohio,  wTas  built  at  this  place.  The  contract  was 
taken  by  Horace  Thacher,  Esq.,  who  is  now  living  in 
the  city  of  Toledo.  This  Church  was  commenced  in 
1834  and  finished  in  1835.  The  first  Methodist 
class  formed  at  this  place  in  1825,  was  the  nucleus  of 
Methodism  in  Northwestern  Ohio.  This  was  the 
first  church  ever  constituted  in  Toledo  or  vicinitv, 
notwithstanding  the  opinion  of  others.  No  Method- 
ist minister  or  layman  now  living  came  into  this 
country  earlier  than  myself,  and  I  know  whereof  I 
speak  as  to  the  early  planting  of  Methodism  in  the 
Maumee  Valley. 

Among  the  early  inhabitants  in  and  about  Tre- 
mainsville were  the  Whitneys,  Keelers,  Phillips 
Lewises,  Mallets,  Hortons,  Millers,  Smiths,  Hardeys, 


S-A  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

Wilkinsons,  Hobards,  Collins,  Cones,  Blanc  hards, 
and  a  few  others  of  a  later  date.  I  shall  hereafter 
speak  of  this  Tremainsville  society,  and  the  first 
class  at  this  place. 

Friday  morning,  bright  and  early,  we  were  on 
our  way  for  Monroe,  Michigan.  This  being  our 
next  stopping  place,  an  appointment  for  preaching 
at  night  had  been  sent  ahead. 

Methodist  ministers,  at  this  earhr  day,  having  but 
little  spare  means  to  defray  their  traveling  expenses, 
had  to  make  some  definite  arrangements  as  to  the 
Methodist  family  with  whom  they  would  be  likely  to 
find  entertainment  for  the  night ;  or  they  might  be 
required  to  camp  out,  going  some  distance  from  the 
main  road,  or  trail,  to  prevent  any  intrusion  from 
the  Indians,  who  were  more  numerous  than  white 
people,  and  if  intoxicated,  these  Indians  were  more 
or  less  dangerous,  and  quite  likely  to  want  our 
horses  or  saddle  bags. 

Friday  was  a  pleasant  day,  and  our  horses  were  in 
good  trim  for  traveling.  Soon  after  we  started  my 
traveling  companion  fell  into  a  deep  study,  preparing 
his  sermon  for  the  night,  as  this  appointment  had 
been  sent  in  advance.  But  little  attention  had  been 
paid  to  our  route ;  coming  to  what  was  called  the 
Bay  settlement,  the  main  road  disappeared  and  lead 
off  in  a  half  dozen  different  directions.  Having 
traveled  for  a  few  miles  along  one  of  these  paths, 


MYSTERIOUS  LEADINGS  OF  PROVIDENCE.  S5 

we  fell  in  with  a  funeral  procession,  and  learned  that 
the  road  we  were  on  terminated  at  the  Catholic 
Cemetery.  We  now  returned,  and  watching-  more 
carefully  the  blazed  trees,  were  soon  on  the  straight 
route  for  Monroe,  and  landed  safely  before  night. 
We  stopped  at  Esq.  Harvey's,  a  short  distance  in  the 
country,  where  the  public  services  were  to  be  held. 
Monroe  was  but  a  small  Catholic  village,  and  desti- 
tute of  a  Protestant  Church.  About  all  the  mem- 
bership in  the  settlement  were  on  hand  to  hear  the 
strange  ministers.  After  the  sermon  and  a  short 
exhortation  from  myself,  we  had  a  speaking  meeting, 
which  was  both  interesting  and  profitable. 

On  Saturday  we  reached  the  place  of  our  destina- 
tion, and  enjoyed  the  hospitality  of  Father  Abbott 
and  his  excellent  family.  Detroit  had  assumed  some 
considerable  importance  as  a  lake  city,  but  owing 
to  the  unsettled  condition  of  society,  and  the  con- 
stant emigration  to  other  parts  of  the  Territory, 
Methodism  had  made  but  little  progress.  There 
were  but  sixty -five  members  in  the  place  and  some 
less  than  three  hundred  in  the  entire  Territory. 
However,  I  am  pleased  to  say  there  were  a  few  noble 
hearted  and  enterprising  ones,  who  had  with  their 
limited  means  erected  a  small  Church,  in  which  I 
had  the  honor  of  preaching  on  Sabbath  morning, 
standing  on  a  store  box,  before  this  house  was  plast- 
ered or  seated.     It  is   with  pleasure  I  refer  to  the 


86  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

names  of  some  of  these  early  pioneers  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  in  Detroit:  The  Deans, 
jSTobles,  Owens,  Edwards  —  the  relatives  of  Rev. 
Arthur  Edwards,  D.  D.,  editor  of  the  Northwestern 
Christian  Advocate,  of  Chicago,  Illinois,  the  parents 
of  whom  I  united  in  marriage.  I  would  also  refer 
to  Father  Abbott  and  his  family,  with  whom  I  made 
my  home  for  a  short  time  before  entering  upon  my 
new  field  of  labor,  and  the  commencement  of  my 
early  itineracy  in  Michigan. 

In  1828  the  Detroit  district  was  supplied  as  fol- 
lows :  Zarah  Caston,  presiding  elder;  Detroit  sta- 
tion, Arza  Brown;  Oakland,  William  T.  Snow  and 
Elnathan  C.  Gavitt;  Huron,  Benjamin  Cooper; 
Monroe,  George  W.  Walker;  St.  Clair  Mission,  Elias 
Patter.  All  of  these  excellent  brethren,  with  whom 
I  was  associated  at  that  early  day,  and  all  the  regu- 
lar itinerant  ministers  there  were  in  the  Michigan 
Territory,  have  long  since  entered  their  reward  on 
high,  and  I  am  the  only  one  left  of  this  little  band  to 
record  their  names  and  the  early  planting  of  Meth- 
odism in  the  Michigan  Territory,  which  was  at  this 
time  almost  an  entire  wilderness. 

MY    FIRST    CIRCUIT    IN     MICHIGAN. 

Oakland  circuit  was  a  new  field  of  labor,  consti- 
tuted in  1828,  including  all  the  Xortheastern  part  of 
the  Territory,  covering  a  large  area  of  country,  and 


MY  FIRST  CIRCriT  IN  MICHIGAN.  87 

extending  for  hundreds  of  miles  around,  requiring 
preaching  from  two  to  three  times  per  day,  and 
riding  from  ten  to  twenty  miles  between  appoint- 
ments, all  of  which  had  to  be  accomplished  within 
four  or  six  Aveeks,  to  reach  the  place  of  beginning. 
We  had  no  rest  week.  The  minister  had  but  little 
time  for  study,  unless  it  was  on  horse-back  or  by 
bark-light,  in  some  rural  home  with  but  one  room, 
winch  answered  for  the  parlor,  kitchen  and  sleeping 
room. 

During  this  year  we  claim  to  have  had  the  first 
camp-meeting  ever  held  in  the  Michigan  Territory ; 
at  least  such  was  the  statement  of  ministers  and 
members.  This  meeting  was  well  attended  by  all 
the  itinerant  and  local  ministers,  and  also  quite  a 
number  of  members  from  Canada  and  Detroit. 
There  were  some  fifty  conversions,  and  sixty-three 
accessions  to  the  Church,  and  the  influence  of  this 
meeting  was  very  beneficial  to  the  interest  of  the  en- 
tire charge. 

My  home  and  headquarters  during  this  year  was 
at  Ira  Donelson's,  one  among  the  early  pioneers  of 
the  Territory,  who  had  settled  with  his  family  near 
Pontiac.  He  was  the  honored  father  of  the  Rev.  P. 
S.  Donelson,  D.  D.,  who  for  many  years  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference.  For  seventeen 
years  he  was  President  of  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  Female 
College  at  Delaware,  and  afterwards  filled  many  im- 


88  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

portant  positions  in  the  Conference  as  a  stationed 
minister  and  presiding  elder.  The  doctor  was  about 
four  years  old  when  I  made  his  father's  house  my  home. 
But  as  young  as  he  was  at  that  day,  he  was  on  hand 
and  officiated  on  the  occasion  of  my  second  marriage 
as  may  be  seen  by  the  ConferenceMinutes  for  1876,  and 
in  the  daily  papers  in  the  report  of  the  proceedings  of 
this  annual  Conference  as  follows:  Elnathan  C.  Gavitt, 
of  pioneer  fame  in  the  Maumee  Valley,  a  member  of 
Central  Ohio  Conference,  and  Miss  E.  M.  Roys,  M.  D., 
were  united  in  marriage  in  open  Conference  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  the  city  of  Defiance, 
Ohio,  September  9th,  1876,  by  Rev.  Park  S.  Donelson, 
D.  D.,  assisted  by  Bishop  Ames,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  The 
bride  is  a  graduate  of  the  Female  Medical  College, 
of  Philadelphia,  and  has  been  a  successful  practitioner 
for  fifteen  years,  the  last  eight  years  in  the  city  of 
Toledo,  Ohio.  We  wish  the  Elder  and  his  fair  lady 
a  prosperous  and  a  pleasant  journey  through  life." 

Dr.  Donelson  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  April 
19th,  1825,  and  died  in  Dexter,  Michigan,  May  6th, 
1882,  and  has  entered  upon  his  reward  on  high  to  join 
those  honored  parents,  who  were  so  kind  to  me  in  1828, 
a  young  man  far  from  home  and  among  strangers. 
His  father  was  my  counsellor  and  his  mother  my  spec- 
ial friend,  and  they  were  as  kind  to  me  as  if  I  had 
been  their  own  child.  The  morning  before  I  left 
this  dear  family  for  Conference,  I  wrote  my  full  name 


MY  FIRST  CIRCUIT  IN  MICHIGAN.  89 

upon  the  wall  of  the  room  where  I  had  lodged  the 
night  before,  and  the  remaining  family  while  attend 
ing  the  funeral  services  of  their  brother  at  Dexter,  in- 
formed me  that  their  parents  would  never  have  the 
name  erased,  and  it  remained  until  the  old  house  was 
removed,  to  give  place  to  a  new  one.  Such  was  the 
kindness  and  respect  they  had  for  their  young  pastor; 
and  may  I  so  live,  that  when  I  am  done  with  this 
world  I  may  meet  these  honored  ones  in  Heaven, 
where  pastors  and  members  will  meet  to  part  no 
more. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


MICHIGAN  AS  A    TERRITORY. 


"  During  the  administration  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  as 
President  of  the  United  States,  in  1805,  that  part  of 
the  Northwestern  Territory  called  Wayne  county, 
was  organized  under  a  special  Territorial  Govern- 
ment by  the  name  of  Michigan,  including  about  fifty- 
six  thousand  square  miles,  with  a  population  of  some 
less  than  four  thousand  inhabitants.  During  the 
first  six  years,  emigration  to  Michigan  was  quite  limi- 
ted, owing  to  the  unsettled  condition  of  affairs  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  the  British  Government. 
After  the  war  of  1812,  peace  being  restored,  this  new 
Territory,  with  its  alluvial  soil,  extensive  pineries  and 
mineral  deposits,  commenced  fast  filling  up  with  a 
population,  principally  from  the  Eastern  States,  of 
young  married  people,  full  of  zeal  and  enterprise,  giv- 
ing character  and  stability  to  this  new  Republic. 

And  as  Methodism  has  always  been  the  pioneer 
Church,  flanking  emigration,  and  carrying  the  Gospel 
to  all  lands  and  to  all  classes  of  human  beings,  so  it  was 
in  this  new  and  promising  Territory. 

Michigan  was  first  supplied  with  the  ministry  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  from  the  New  York  and 

(90) 


MICHIGAN  AS  A  TERRITORY.  01 

Genesee  Conferences.  Joseph  Sawyer  and  William 
Case  were  sent  out  as  missionaries  to  Detroit  as  early 
as  in  1809,  and  since  that  time  with  the  exception  of 
two  years,  at  the  close  of  the  war  of  1812,  Michigan 
has  been  regularly  supplied  with  the  ministry  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  until  the  present  day. 
There  are  now  two  Methodist  Conferences  in  the 
State,  with  about  six  hundred  regular  itinerant  min- 
isters, and  between  seventy-five  and  eighty  thousand 
Church  members,  and  Methodism  occupies  an  im- 
portant position  in  Michigan,  as  to  its  moral  and  re- 
ligious influence  with  colleges,  seminaries,  meeting 
houses  and  parsonages  and  all  other  Church  advan- 
tages or  improvements.  Grand  and  noble  has  been 
the  fruit  from  the  early  planting  of  the  Church  since 
1828,  and  I  am  pleased  to  know  I  had  a  part  in  this 
noble  work,  a  beardless  youth  more  than  half  a  cen- 
tury ago. 

LIGHTS  AND  SHADES  OF  MICHIGAN. 

I  propose  now  to  furnish  a  few  items  connected 
with  my  ministry  in  the  Michigan  Territory,  at  an 
early  day,  which  may  be  of  interest  to  my  readers 
as  a  specimen  of  pioneer  life. 

ROMANTIC  CIRCUMSTANCE. MY  FIRST  ATTEMPT  IN    MATRI- 
MONIAL AFFAIRS. 

There  were  two  well-to-do  farmers  living  near  each 
other,  a  promising  young  man  Henry ,  belonging 


92  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

to  one  of  the  families,  and  an  interesting  young  lady 

Mary ,  belonging  to  the  other,  had  pledged  their 

youthful  affections  and  entered  into  solemn  pledges 
of  matrimony.  Their  intentions  being-  made  known 
created  some  unpleasantness  and  dissatisfaction  be- 
tween these  two  families.  In  order  to  alienate  them 
a  young  lady  from  Detroit  was  introduced  into  the 
neighborhood,  with  the  hope  that  Henry's  affections 
would  be  turned  in  that  direction.  It  was  not  long 
before  poor  Mary  was  deserted.  Occasionally  when 
they  met  at  Church  or  other  places,  and  he  admitted 
his  early  attachment,  Mary  reminded  Henry  of  his 
solemn  vows,  but  all  appeared  to  be  in  vain  as  to  any 
reconciliation,  as  his  affections  were  now  placed  upon 
the  young  lady  who  had  just  entered  upon  her  pro- 
fession as  teacher  of  the  young  children  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. Mary  with  her  unyielding  affection  was 
determined  to  have  one  more  interview  with  Henry, 
and  inform  him  of  her  unhappy  condition.  Learning 
that  he  was  about  to  start  to  Orchard  Lake,  upon  his 
usual  recreation  of  hunting  and  fishing,  on  a  beauti- 
ful afternoon,  the  woods  being  gay  with  flowers,  and 
the  forest  clothed  in  beauty  and  verdure,  Mary  put 
on  her  sun-bonnet,  and  without  the  knowledge  of 
Henry  or  her  friends,  followed  him  into  the  woods, 
concealing  her  presence  behind  small  timber  or  under 
growth,  as  she  pursued  her  journey.  The  young 
man  having  reached  his  accustomed  place  for  fishing, 


ROMANTIC  CIRCUMSTANCE.  93 

stood  his  gun  against  a  large  oak  tree,  and  started  out 
upon  a  tree  that  had  fallen,  the  top  of  which  had 
extended  into  the  lake,  and  seating  himself  on  the 
log,  commenced  his  finny  sport.  Mary  having  ap- 
proached within  a  short  distance,  concealing  herself 
behind  a  tree  waiting  his  return,  when  to  her  horror 
and  surprise  she  discovered  a  large  panther  coming 
down  the  tree  where  Henry  had  placed  his  gun,  and 
then  making  toward  the  object  of  his  prey,  already 
having  advanced  on  the  fallen  tree.  The  young  man's 
attention  being  attracted  by  the  noise  of  the  savage 
animal,  he  looked  up  and  discovered  his  helpless  con- 
dition, with  no  possibility  of  escape.  He  commenced 
screaming ;  this  checked  the  animal  for  a  moment, 
and  it  was  now  preparing  to  make  the  final  spring. 
Meanwhile  Mary  had  hastened  to  the  tree  where  the 
gun  was  standing,  and  taking  up  the  loaded  rifle,  the 
use  of  which  she  was  accustomed  to,  and  placing  it 
against  the  tree  with  determined  accuracy,  she  fired, 
and  the  fearful  animal  rolled  from  the  log  into  the 
lake. 

Then  with  a  shout  of  triumph  and  tears  of  joy 
flowing  down  her  cheeks,  she  showed  herself  to  him 
who  had  been  unmindful  of  her  happiness.  Henry 
now  discovered  the  object  of  his  neglect,  who  had 
pursued  him  with  affection,  and  in  a  most  re- 
markable manner  had  saved  him  from  a  fearful 
death.     Rushing  into  her  arms,  he  pledged  himself 


94  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

to  her  through  life,  declaring  that  she  should  be 
his  wife  regardless  of  all  others.  On  my  next  round 
of  appointments,  I  visited  the  parents  of  these 
young  persons,  and  in  a  measure  reconciled  their 
feelings.  I  solemnized  the  marriage  of  Henry  and 
Mary,  which  was  the  happiest  event  of  their  lives,  and 
knowing  all  the  circumstances,  was  a  pleasing  event 
to  myself.  It  was  the  first  marriage  in  my  itiner- 
acy or  early  ministry.  The  last  account  I  had  from 
this  happy  couple,  they  were  pleasantly  situated  in 
Minnesota.  The  two  dollars  which  I  received  as  the 
wedding  fee,  I  gave  to  the  bride,  with  the  request 
that  she  would  purchase  a  Bible,  in  remembrance  of 
the  young  minister,  and  if  this  is  still  in  existence, 
it  retains  the  name  of  the  doner  and  the  time  of  mar- 
riage. 

Why  not  give  their  names  ?  Because  it  is  not  es- 
sential. Should  you  meet  a  prominent  lawyer  in 
California  with  my  given  name,  you  can  ask  him  who 
married  his  parents,  and  in  wyhat  State  or  Territory. 

PARENTAL    AFFECTION. 

Charles  Prouty  and  his  wife  had  settled  in  the 
Michigan  Territory  at  an  early  day.  They  were 
called  in  the  Providence  of  God  to  part  with  their 
only  child,  an  infant  babe.  Being  informed  of  their 
sad  bereavement,  I  concluded  to  visit  them  and  im- 
part such  comfort  as  their  circumstances  might  re_ 


FAKENTAL  AFFECTION.  95 

quire.  I  found  them  in  a  very  unpleasant  state  of 
mind.  The  lady  informed  me  that  she  had  been  edu- 
cated by  religious  parents,  and  had  been  taught  to 
believe  the  Bible,  and  that  there  was  a  God  of  infinite 
mercy,  but  now  she  had  lost  all  confidence  in  any 
such  a  being;  if  there  was  a  God,  he  was  not  what 
she  had  supposed  him  to  be;  she  had  prayed  day 
and  night  that  he  would  spare  the  life  of  her  child, 
but  God  had  paid  no  respect  to  her  prayers  or  tears. 
I  said  to  her :  "  Permit  me  to  ask  you  a  few  ques- 
tions before  you  censure  God  too  much.  When  your 
child  was  taken  sick,  did  you  pray  that  it  might  be 
restored  to  health  ;  did  you  believe  there  was  a  God, 
and  that  he  would  hear  and  answer  your  prayer, 
and  that  your  child  would  live ;  or  did  you  believe  that 
it  must  die,  being  so  very  sick?"  "  I  never  believed 
that  it  would  live ;  neither  did  my  husband,  and  the 
doctor  expressed  his  doubts  as  to  its  recovery."  "I 
should  suppose,  then,  you  would  have  the  utmost 
confidence  in  God,  and  would  feel  that  he  had  heard 
and  answered  your  prayer.  According  to  what  you 
say,  you  bad  faith  to  believe  that  the  child  would 
die,  and  it  did  die.  God  heard  and  answered  your 
prayer,  according  to  your  faith.  The  efficacy  of 
prayer  consists  in  the  faith,  and  not  in  the  words  we 
may  use."  u  Oh,  dear  me !"  she  cried,  "  how  could 
I  have  been  so  unwise  as  to  suppose  that  God  would 
hear  and  answer  my  prayer  when  I  had  no  faith  to 
believe  that  he  would?" 


96  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

"  My  clear  strange  friends,"  I  remarked,  "  I  want 
you  to  remember  that  the  Bible  your  parents  taught 
you  to  believe,  says  without  faith  it  is  impossible  to 
please  God.  You  and  your  companion  have  asked 
me  an  important  question  which  is  not  very  easily 
answered :  If  there  is  a  God,  Avhy  did  he  permit 
vour  child  to  die?  If  God  is  an  infinite  being, 
knowing  all  things  in  the  future  as  in  the  past,  he 
may  have  taken  your  child  from  the  evil  to  come. 
However,  I  will  give  you  my  opinion,  and  you  can 
make  your  own  application.  It  is  said  a  shepherd 
had  grazed  his  flock  upon  the  green  pastures,  and  at 
night  he  removed  them  to  the  fold.  There  was  one, 
however,  that  refused  to  go  along  with  the  rest,  pre- 
ferring to  remain  with  her  lamb.  He  had  called  her 
and  had  influenced  her  to  come  to  the  fold,  but  all 
in  vain.  He  now  picked  up  the  lamb  and  placed  it 
in  his  bosom,  and  took  it  to  the  fold  ;  and  soon  the 
parent  mother  came,  and  was  as  much  pleased  to  meet 
her  lamb,  as  if  he  had  never  taken  it  from  her,  and 
now  both  were  safely  housed.  My  dear  strange 
friends,  Christ  is  the  great  shepherd,  and  Heaven  is 
His  fold.  The  lamb  is  your  precious  child,  and  the 
blessed  Savior  has  taken  it  to  His  fold,  where  it  is 
safe  from  all  harm,  and  as  the  parents  of  that  child 
you  are  still  in  the  field,  and  have  not  as  yet  made 
any  attempt  to  meet  your  child  in  heaven.  What 
say  you ;  will  you  go,  or  will  you  still  remain  in  sin  ? 
I  must  leave  you  to  decide  this  important  question 


SAD  AND  SOLEMN  SCENE.  97 

If  you  have  no  objections,  we  will  have  a  word  of 
prayer,  and  then  I  must  go  to  my  appointment. 
Do  not  forget  the  little  lamb  in  the  heavenly  fold — 
waiting  at  the  gate  for  you  to  come."  I  am  pleased 
to  say  soon  after  I  left,  these  dear  ones  knelt  in 
prayer,  and  there  and  then  promised  by  the  help  of 
God  they  would  live  so  as  to  meet  their  child  in 
heaven.  Before  I  left  the  circuit  they  had  made  a 
profession  of  religion  and  united  with  the  Church ; 
their  house  became  a  preaching  place  for  the  neigh- 
borhood. They  remained  faithful  and  active  Chris- 
tians, living  to  meet  their  child  where  sickness  and 
sorrow  never  come. 

SAD   AND    SOLEMN    SCENE. 

Starting  in  company  with  my  colleague,  Brother 
Snow,  when  Michigan  Territory  was  quite  a  wilder- 
ness, for  the  purpose  of  visiting  an  Indian  Reserva- 
tion, and  learning  from  them  what  the  prospect  was 
of  introducing  the  Gospel  among  them,  we  came  upon 
a  clearing  and  a  log  cabin  near  what  is  now  Isabella 
county.  Brother  Snow  proposed  stopping  to  refresh 
ourselves,  and  obtain  feed  for  our  horses.  As  we 
approached  the  door,  a  young  man,  perhaps  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  years  of  age,  who  appeared  feeble  and 
emaciated  and  careworn,  rose  to  meet  us;  with  tear- 
ful eyes  and  trembling  lips  he  told  us  of  his  grief,  and 
said  he  thought  we  had  come  in  answer  to  his  prayers. 
7 


98  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

He  stated  that  be  had  been  alone  with  his  deceased 
wife  two  days.  She  had  passed  from  earth  to  Heaven 
after  a  brief  illness.  He  was  some  distance  from  any 
white  settlement,  and  no  one  had  passed  that  way 
and  he  could  not  leave  her  to  go  for  help.  He  had  made 
her  a  coffin  out  of  a  cupboard  they  had  brought  from 
York  State,  and  prepared  a  shroud  from  one  of  their 
sheets,  and  her  grave  under  the  tree  on  the  hillside 
where  their  little  boy  was  buried  who  came  into  the 
wilderness  with  them.  We  walked  across  the  room 
which  contained  all  that  belonged  to  their  humble 
tenement.  In  the  rough  coffin  lay  the  sweet  young 
wife,  with  hands  meekly  folded  over  her  heart, which 
would  never  more  throb  with  joy  or  grief.  We  were 
moved  to  tears  as  we  looked  upon  her  face,  upturned 
to  Heaven  as  if  asking  for  shelter  and  rest.  We 
thought  of  the  devotion  and  love  which  had  operated 
to  bring  her  to  this  lonely  comfortless  home,  to  share 
the  hardship  and  poverty  of  her  young  husband. 
There  was  something  touching  in  the  thought  that 
she  had  sacrificed  and  suffered  even  unto  death,  with 
no  hand  to  smooth  her  pillow  or  utter  words  of  love 
or  sympathy  except  her  husband.  They  two  had 
lived  for  each  other,  but  at  an  unexpected  moment 
the  Angel  Death  had  come  and  taken  her,  who  had 
been  his  sole  companion  and  dearest  earthly  friend. 
The  young  husband  stooped  and  kissed  the  pale  mo- 
tionless face  of  her  he  loved,  and  his  tears  watered 


SAD  AND  SOLEMN  SCENE.  99 

the  wild  flowers  be  had  placed  upon  her  bosom. 
His  heart  seemed  too  full  for  words,  as  he  realized 
again  that  she  could  not  respond  to  his  caresses,  nor 
move  her  lips  in  words.  We  explained  to  him  that 
we  were  ministers,  journeying  through  the  country 
for  missionary  purposes,  and  were  thankful  God  had 
directed  us  this  way  that  we  might  be  with  him  in 
this  hour  of  sorrow  and  need,  and  assist  him  in  the 
last  sad  rites,  which  were  necessary  to  be  performed. 
He  brought  forward  a  pocket  Bible,  from  which  I 
read  several  comforting  selections,  and  Brother  Snow 
offered  prayer.  We  closed  the  coffin  and  carried 
it  to  the  grave,  followed  only  by  him  who  was  left 
indeed  desolate  and  alone.  Nothing  but  the  words 
of  him  who  said,"  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life,'* 
can  console  one  bereft  of  all  they  hold  dear.  After 
filling  the  grave,  with  a  broken  spade,  and  placing  the 
sod  on  the  earth,  we  repaired  to  the  house  and  made 
some  inquiries  as  to  his  future  course.  He  stated 
that  he  desired  to  return  to  York  State  if  he  could 
get  there.  He  was  reduced  in  health  and  means,  and 
had  no  heart  to  make  any  effort.  We  gave  him  a 
small  sum  of  money  and  commended  him  to  God,  in 
whom  he  could  trust  in  life  or  in  death.  We  took 
our  departure  sadder  and  wiser  men  for  having  seen 
this  desolate  home  in  the  wilderness,  and  being  made 
acquainted  with  the  sadness  and  sorrows  of  these 
young  people. 


100        CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 
REMARKABLE  ANSWER  TO  PRAYER. 

In  1S26  two  families  had  emigrated  from  Roches- 
ter, New  York,  and  had  settled  in  the  new  Territory 
of  Michigan,  some  seven  or  eight  miles  fromPontiac, 
and  had  commenced  improving  their  rural  homes. 
These  two  young  men  were  brothers  and  had  married 
sisters,  all  of  whom  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  Living  some  distance  from  any 
moral  or  religious  influence,  and  neglecting  the  means 
of  grace,  the  men  had  yielded  to  the  baneful  influence 
of  intemperance,  and  were  fast  driving  to  ruin.  This 
was  very  trying  to  their  companions,  who  had  made 
them  a  subject  of  their  prayers,  but  all  to  little  or  no 
effect  as  to  any  permanent  reformation.  Being  some- 
what discouraged,  they  had  concluded  to  give  them 
up  in  hopeless  despair. 

My  preaching  in  the  rural  village  of  Pontiac  had 
attracted  some  interest,  being  small  of  my  age,  and 
young  in  my  personal  appearance.  As  I  stood  be- 
hind the  judge's  table  in  the  log  court  house,  it  re- 
quired some  effort  to  see  me.  Hence  a  report  had 
been  circulated  that  I  was  much  less  in'stature  than  I 
really  was,  and  many  persons  were  attracted  to  the 
Church  through  curiosity  to  see  and  hear  the  boy- 
preacher;  some  of  these  persons  were  from  quite  a 
distance,  and  among  this  number  were  the  two  fam- 
ilies of  Spragues,  who  had  emigrated  from  York  State. 


REMARKABLE  ANSWER  TO  PRAYER.  101 

I  took  for  my  text  these  words,  "  She  hath  done 
what  she  could,"  Mark  xiv.  8. 

Speaking  from  these  words,  I  illustrated  my  sub- 
ject, stating  that  a  good  beginning  did  not  always 
insure  a  happy  conclusion;  many  persons  have  started 
well  in  life,  and  in  the  enjoyment  of  religion  and  bid 
fair  for  usefulness  in  the  Church,  and  failed  for  the 
want  of  decision  and  perseverance.  Such  was  the 
case  in  regard  to  Lot's  wife,  commencing  well  and 
might  have  been  saved  from  Divine  displeasure, 
provided  she  had  not  given  way  to  doubt  or  unbelief. 
These  two  Spragues  and  their  wives  returned  home 
with  favorable  impressions,  and  that  evening  the  two 
sisters  concluded  that  they  had  not  done  all  they 
could  for  the  conversion  of  their  husbands,  and  re- 
newed their  covenant  that  they  would  pray  for  them 
every  day  as  long  as  they  lived,  and  they  would 
commence  that  very  night,  and  plead  with  God  as 
they  had  never  before.  About  midnight  the  husband 
of  the  elder  sister  requested  his  wife  to  get  up  and 
pray  for  him,  that  he  might  be  saved  from  a  drunk- 
ard's grave  and  a  drunkard's  hell.  It  was  not  long 
before  he  found  peace  in  believing.  They  started  to  go 
to  his  brother's  with  the  hope  of  encouraging  them, 
and  when  within  about  a  mile  of  their  home  they 
met  them  coming  with  the  same  delightful  intelli- 
gence, that  about  midnight  God  had  converted  her 
husband,  and  now  they  made  the  wild  forest  ring 


102         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

with  their  shouts  of  joy,  and  thanksgiving  to  God 
for  what  he  had  done  in  answer  to  their  prayers. 

This  circumstance  was  such  a  plain  and  satisfactory 
answer  to  prayer,  I  recorded  it  in  my  diary,  and 
hope  that  it  may  encourage  others  to  go  and  do 
likewise.  What  we  cannot  do  ourselves  God  is  dis- 
posed to  do  for  us,  but  when  we  pray  for  that 
which  we  can  do  ourselves  God  has  never  promised 
to  answer,  and  it  is  useless  to  expect  it.  Fred  Doug- 
lass once  said  he  prayed  for  twenty  years  that  God 
would  help  him  out  of  slavery,  but  God  did  not 
until  he  took  to  his  heels.  Then  he  helped  him  out. 
It  is  the  privilege  of  every  Christian  to  use  the 
means,  and  then  leave  the  event  with  God. 

Soon  after  the  conversion  of  these  men  we  com- 
menced preaching  at  the  house  of  the  Elder,  Mr. 
Sprague,  and  formed  a  small  class,  and  I  am  pleased 
to  say  these  two  excellent  families  remained  faithful 
and  devoted  Christians  during  our  administration  on 
the  Oakland  Circuit,  and  whether  dead  or  alive  it 
was  a  victory  worth  laboring  for,  the  conversion 
of  their  companions  for  whom  they  had  sacrificed 
the  pleasure  of  a  beautiful  home  in  the  East  to  com- 
mence life  with  them  in  a  new  country,  far,  far 
away  from  parents  and  loved  ones  most  dear. 


CHAPTEK   XIX. 


RETURNING    TO    OHIO. 


In  1829  I  was  employed  by  the  Presiding  Elder 
of  Portland  District,  Rev.  Russel  Bigelow,  to  travel 
on  Holmes  Circuit  in  companv  with  Rev.  John  C. 
Havens,  of  precious  memory,  one  among  the  excel- 
lent ones  of  earth,  a  man  of  medium  preaching 
ability,  but  wonderful  in  exhortation  and  powerful 
in  prayer.  This  brother  traveled  several  years  with 
great  acceptability,  and  at  last  superannuated  and 
settled  in  Delaware,  Ohio,  where  he  lived  and  died 
honored  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  him. 
Holmes  Circuit  embraced  a  large  area  of  country,  ex- 
tending into  Coshocton,  Tuscarawas,  Knox,  Wayne, 
Medina,  Portage,  or  that  part  now  included  in  Sum- 
mit, and  all  of  Holmes  county. 

Millersburg,  the  county  seat,  was  the  center  of 
operations  in  1829,  and  was  a  small  rural  village  with 
but  few  inhabitants.  It  was  laid  out  on  the  bank  of 
Kilbeck  in  1824,  by  Charles  Miller  and  Adam  John- 
son, and  the  first  lots  were  sold  on  the  4th  day  of 
January  of  the  same  year.  The  Seceders  built  the 
first  meeting  house  in  1830,  and  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  was  erected  in  1833.     The  popu- 

(103) 


104         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

lation  of  Millersburg  in  1829,  at  the  time  of  our 
ministry  in  this  place,  was  294.  Among  the  early 
inhabitants  in  and  about  this  place  were  as  follows : 
Seth  Hunt,  ¥m.  Painter,  Samuel  Henry,  George 
Stout,  Samuel  McDonell,  B,.  K.  Enos,  John  Smurr, 
John  Glasgowe,  Thomas  Haskins,  James  Withrowe, 
James  McKeennan,  Jonathan  Korn.  Holmes  county 
"was  formed  out  of  Coshocton,  Tuscarawas  and 
Wayne  counties  in  1S34,  and  the  population  of  this 
county  in  1829  was  9,123,  and  was  named  after  a 
gallant  officer  of  the  war  of  1812,  who  was  killed  in 
the  unsuccessful  attack  upon  Mackinac  under  Col. 
Croghan.  The  principal  inhabitants  of  Holmes 
county  in  its  early  settlement  were  from  Pennsyl- 
vania, Maryland  and  Yirginia,  and  they  were  a 
noble  class  of  pioneers,  and,  when  converted,  were 
staunch  and  stable  Christians. 

On  Doughty's  fork,  some  eight  miles  from  the 
county  seat,  Methodism  took  like  wildfire.  At  the 
camp  meeting  at  this  place  at  the  close  of  the  Con- 
ference year,  there  were  some  over  five  hundred  con- 
versions, and  at  the  close  of  Bigelow's  sermon 
describing  the  Judgment  Day,  more  than  a  thousand 
rose  for  prayers.  This  was  the  noted  year  for  the 
Methodist  Church  on  these  mountain  tops  and  in 
these  fertile  valleys. 

On  this  charge  was  where  Dr.  Charles  Elliott  first 
settled,  and  distinguished  as  the  Irish  linguist,  with 


RETURNING  TO  OHIO.  105 

more  influence  and  popularity  than  Solomon  in  all 
of  his  glory,  with  his  Mormon  wives  and  numerous 
porcupines. 

In  the  eastern  part  of  this  County  is  a  settlement 
of  Dunkards,  who  speak  the  German  language. 
They  are  excellent  farmers  and  live  in  good  style. 
The  men  wear  long  beards  and  shad- bellied  coats, 
with  hooks  and  eyes  instead  of  buttons.  The  fe- 
males wear  short  gowns,  caps  without  frills,  and  when 
doing  out-door  work  they  wear  broad  brimmed 
straw  hats.     A  most  excellent  class  of  people. 

It  was  during  this  year,  in  1829,  that  I  preached 
in  Akron,  in  a  warehouse  owned  by  Mr.  Green,  and 
standing  near  the  canal.  During  this  year  I  formed 
the  first  class  and  established  the  first  Sabbath 
School  in  what  is  now  the  City  of  Akron.  I  pro- 
pose to  say,  regardless  of  all  other  Church  histor- 
ians, that  no  Methodist  minister  ever  preached 
in  Akron  at  an  earlier  day  than  myself.  It  was  in 
this  place  where  I  first  became  acquainted  with  my 
now  sainted  wife,  and  many  of  her  relations  are 
still  living,  and  are  well  known  in  Akron  as  among 
the  first  settlers.  Charles  Brown,  his  children  and 
grandchildren  and  others  of  my  relatives  are  well 
acquainted  with  my  early  ministry  in  Akron  and 
vicinity. 

At  the  close  of  this  Conference  year  I  was  recom- 
mended to  the  Ohio  Conference,  to  be  held  at  Lan- 


106         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

caster,  Ohio,  Sept.  8th,  1830,  and  during  the  session  of 
this  Conference  thirty-three  ministers  were  received 
on  trial,  the  most  of  whom  were  young  men  like 
myself.  But  few  now  remain  of  this  number.  Wil- 
liam Young,  of  the  Cincinnati  Conference ;  Ezekiel 
S.  Gavitt,  of  the  North  Ohio  Conference,  and 
myself,  are  about  the  only  survivors.  Wm,  Morrow, 
Leonard  Hill,  E.  B.  Chase  and  Elam  Day  were  among 
the  number  who  have  departed  this  life,  and  will 
be  remembered  by  the  older  ministers  of  the  Central 
Ohio  Conference  as  among  our  early  associates, 
About  the  last  of  Brother  Day's  traveling,  was 
with  myself  on  the  Galena  Circuit.  The  allow- 
ance made  for  our  support  was  $150  for  Brother 
Day  and  $125  for  myself.  This  was  principally 
paid  in  provisions,  or  such  articles  as  the  membership 
could  well  spare.  I  had  taken  the  most  of  mine  in 
cheese  and  wool.  The  wool  I  had  carded,  spun, 
wove  and  made  into  blankets,  and  disposed  of  these 
blankets  in  getting  such  things  as  we  needed,  and 
paying  house  rent.  At  the  close  of  the  Conference 
year,  at  the  final  settlement,  Brother  Day  had  col- 
lected and  used  in  the  support  of  his  family  some 
sixteen  dollars  more  than  his  share  of  the  quarterage 
and  was  destitute  of  means  to  refund  this  amount. 
The  Stewards  appealed  to  me  to  know  what  I  was 
disposed  to  do  in  this  case.  As  this  amount  was 
coming  to  me,  and  had  been  eaten  up  by  Brother 


RETURNING  TO  OHIO.  107 

Day's  children,  I  proposed  that  the  Stewards  sell 
Benny,  one  of  the  boys,  and,  as  I  had  no  boy,  I 
would  bid  on  him.  But  if  Sister  Day  objected,  then 
the  Stewards  had  better  make  up  the  deficiency,  but 
if  not  disposed  to  do  this,  then  square  the  books  and 
say  no  more.  Rev.  Benjamin  W.  Day,  of  the  Cen- 
tral Ohio  Conference,  was  at  that  day  the  boy  I 
proposed  to  have  the  Stewards  sell,  but  for  some 
reason  his  mother  thought  he  was  worth  more  than 
the  sixteen  dollars  coming  to  me. 

I  have  heard  this  Rev.  Brother  say  he  well  remem- 
ber the  meagre  support  received  by  his  father,  and 
wondered  that  he  was  able  to  support  his  family  and 
furnish  his  children  with  as  good  an  education  as  he 
did.  But  such  was  the  itineracy  at  an  early  day, 
and  the  planting  of  Methodism  in  Ohio,  which  can 
hardly  be  realized  by  the  present  ministry,  and  the 
pleasure  of  the  membership  in  supplying  their 
wants  with  reasonable  salary. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

FIRST    APPOINTMENT   IN    CONFERENCE. 

In  1830  I  was  assigned  to  the  Black  River  Circuit 
in  company  with  Cyrus  S.  Carpenter,  an  excellent 
Christian  brother  of  ordinary  ministerial  ability.  He 
was  favored  with  a  superior  educated  companion  and 
a  very  kind  and  sweet  dispositioned  lady. 

She  was  a  valuable  accession  to  the  charge,  and 
contributed  largely  to  the  usefulness  of  her  hus- 
band. My  colleague's  salary  was  small,  and  this  but 
poorly  paid.  To  avoid  expense  he  spent  much  of 
his  time  upon  the  work.  Being  the  owner  of  a 
small  wagon  and  a  horse,  he  would  put  his  cat  and 
dog  on  board,  and  then  his  trunk,  wife  and  child,  and 
tying  his  cow  behind  the  vehicle  with  a  long  rope, 
so  as  to  follow,  and  start  out  for  a  month's  campaign 
among  the  saints.  Some  were  much  pleased  to  see 
the  caravan,  and  made  the  brother  and  his  family 
welcome ;  a  few  others,  being  fastidious  and  more 
penurious,  were  somewhat  displeased,  and  wondered 
why  he  did  not  have  his  sow  and  pigs  along  with 
him.  However,  this  class  of  persons  were  among 
those  who  were  forever  grumbling  that  the  preachers 
did  not  visit  enough,  and  from  whom  it  was   hard 

(108) 


FIRST  APPOINTMENT  IN  CONFERENCE.  109 

work  to  collect  quarterage.  In  after  life  I  found  a 
few  of  this  class  of  persons,  who  would  ask  me  if  my 
horse  was  too  warm  to  eat  straw,  as  hay  was  worth 
ten  dollars  a  ton. 

By  this  kind  of  pastoral  work  the  people  were 
well  supplied  with  visiting  and  was  a  grand  arrange- 
ment for  me.  as  the  relief  from  pastoral  work  gave 
me  time  for  my  Conference  studies.  The  examina- 
tion at  Conference  was,  in  some  respects,  more  pre- 
cise than  at  the  present  day. 

Brother  Carpenter's  second  marriage  was  some- 
what unpleasant,  and  soon  after  he  became  despond- 
ent and  asked  for  a  location.  Some  years  previous 
to  his  death  he  settled  upon  a  small  tract  of  land  in 
Wood  County,  Ohio,  living  much  of  the  time  solitary 
and  alone  until  his  demise.  He  was  buried  by  the 
members  of  the  Church  in  the  cemetery  near  the 
Lacarp  Church,  Ottawa  county,  Ohio.  Some  ten 
years  after,  attending  a  Quarterly  Meeting  in  this 
section,  and  learning  of  his  death,  I  visited  his  lonely 
resting  place  and  found  the  grave  covered  with 
thorns  and  thistles.  Meditating  upon  the  past,  my 
heart  was  made  sad ;  I  knelt  and  asked  God  to  be  a 
father  to  the  fatherless,  and  remember  in  mercy  the 
two  orphan  children,  bereaved  of  parents,  alone 
among  strangers  and  without  means,  embarrassed  by 
misfortunes,  and  the  poverty  connected  with  the 
early  itineracy  of  their  pious  and  devoted  Christian 


110         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

parents.  Black  River  Circuit  was  another  extensive 
charge,  bounded  on  the  north  by  Lake  Erie,  on  the 
south  by  Wayne  county,  on  the  east  by  the  Cuyahoga 
and  on  the  west  by  the  Fire  Lands.  This  Circuit  in- 
cluded about  one-third  of  the  territory  now  in  the 
North  Ohio  Conference,  and  was  at  this  day  in  the 
Portland  District,which  extended  as  far  south  as  Dela- 
ware, Delaware  County,  Ohio.  There  was  but  one 
Methodist  meeting-house  within  the  bounds  of  this 
extensive  charge,  which  was  said  to  be  the  only  one 
on  the  Western  Reserve.  This  meeting-house  was 
commenced  in  1827  but  was  not  finished  until  in  1830, 
and  was  in  that  year  dedicated  by  the  Presiding 
Elder,  Rev.  Russel  Bigelow,  at  our  first  Quarterly 
Meeting  in  the  early  part  of  Conference  year.  The 
history  of  this  rural  Church  may  be  of  some  interest 
to  my  reader  as  to  early  Methodism  on  the  Western 
Reserve.  I  will  give  a  brief  description  of  this  log- 
temple,  which  was  built  after  the  fashion  of  the  early 
pioneers.  It  was  constructed  of  round  logs  and  was 
some  thirty  feet  in  length,  twelve  feet  wide  and 
about  eight  feet  high,  with  a  puncheon  floor  and  a 
clapboard  roof,  with  four  windows,  two  on  each  side 
filled  with  oiled  white  paper.  This  Church  was 
finished  and  completed  from  top  to  bottom,  with 
something  less  than  one  pound  of  nails,  which  I  pur- 
chased in  Cleveland,  and  were  used  in  finishing  the 
door  and  pulpit,  and  a  small  table  for  communion 


FIRST  APPOINTMENT  IN  CONFERENCE.  Ill 

purposes.  The  principal  expenditure  in  the  erec- 
tion of  this  house  was  the  time  spent  in  the  contro- 
versy where  the  Church  should  be  located,  and  the 
means  to  be  raised  for  the  completion  of  this  build- 
ing, as  I  have  in  my  possession  the  minutes  and 
the  proceedings  of  the  Quarterly  Conferences  and 
the  final  action  of  the  trustees. 

The  committee  at  last  decided  to  build  at  Well- 
ington, a  small  village  of  some  importance  near  the 
center  of  the  circuit,  or  at  least  this  place  would  be 
the  most  eligible  site  in  accommodating  both  the 
north  and  the  south,  and  the  names  of  the  following 
brethren  as  trustees  consented  to  this  arrangement : 
Stanton  S holes,  Morgan  Jordon,  Aaron  Root,  John 
Hazzard,  James  Yanosdall,  Asa  Hamilton,  Cornelius 
Yanderburg,  Thomas  Cole,  Charles  Abby. 

The  erection  of  this  Church  was  decidedly  an  im- 
portant event  in  the  economy  of  Methodism,  being 
the  central  point  of  operation  for  all  public  meet- 
ings. It  was  a  sad  mistake  when  this  early  temple 
was  destroyed.  It  should  have  been  preserved  as 
a  memento  of  the  early  planting  of  Methodism  on 
the  Western  Reserve,  and  as  the  first  Methodist 
Church.  Elyria  was  headquarters  or  the  center 
point  of  radiation,  and  the  most  important  place  or 
charge  there  was  within  the  bounds  of  this  work. 
It  was  a  beautiful  little  rural  village,  with  some 
seven  or  eight  hundred  inhabitants,  and  was  com- 


112         CKUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

menced  by  the  proprietor,  Heman  Ely,  who  built 
the  first  house  in  the  place  in  1S17.  This  village 
was  located  upon  a  peninsula  formed  by  the  forks  of 
Black  river,  and  near  the  town  are  two  noted  falls, 
of  forty  feet  perpendicular  descent.  At  the  falls  on 
the  west  fork,  the  scenery  is  wild  and  picturesque, 
the  rocks  are  lofty  and  overhang  the  valley  for  per- 
haps some  thirt}T  feet.  At  this  point  is  a  large 
cavern  of  semi-circular  form,  some  seventy  feet  deep 
and  one  hundred  feet  broad  at  the  entrance,  with  a 
level  floor,  and  wall  from  five  to  nine  feet  high, 
furnishing  a  delightful  retreat  during  the  heat  of  the 
summer  day. 

Lorain  county  was  formed  out  of  the  counties  of 
Huron,  Cuyahoga  and  Medina,  December  26th,  1822, 
and  during  our  administration  in  1830  there  were 
about  six  thousand  inhabitants  in  the  county,  who 
were  principally  from  the  Eastern  States,  with  all 
their  Yankee  notions  and  wooden  nutmeg  enter- 
prises. Presbyterian  and  Congregational  Churches 
prevailed,  and  Calvinism  predominated. 

There  were  a  few  of  the  enterprising  ones  of 
Elyria  who  had  contemplated  building  a  Methodist 
meeting  house  in  this  place,  as  it  appeared  to  be 
essential  to  the  interest  of  Methodism.  The  old 
yellow  school  house,  the  only  place  for  public  wor- 
ship by  all  denominations,  was  a  source  of  conten- 
tion as  to  the  day  and  right  of  occupancy.     How- 


FIRST  APPOINTMENT  IN  CONFERENCE.  113 

ever,  taking  all  things  into  consideration,  it  was 
thought  best  to  build  a  house  in  the  first  place  for 
the  married  minister,  who  would  most  likely  settle 
in  Elyria,  and  the  erection  of  such  a  building  would 
secure  the  patronage  of  the  entire  charge. 

As  it  may  be  of  interest  to  some  of  my  readers  to 
know  who  they  were  at  that  early  day  who  helped 
to  build  the  first  parsonage  that  was  ever  erected  on 
the  Western  Reserve  by  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  I  will  give  the  proceedings  of  the  com- 
mencement of  the  enterprise  as  recorded  in  my 
diary :  "  "We,  the  members  and  friends  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  being  within  the 
bounds  of  the  Black  River  Circuit,  seeing  that  the 
preachers  who  are  sent  to  labor  with  us  in  the  Gos- 
pel, from  time  to  time,  suffer  many  inconveniences 
owing  to  their  sudden  transition  from  place  to  place, 
find  it  in  many  instances  extremely  difficult  to  pro- 
cure suitable  houses  for  their  families,  and  as  the 
Book  of  Discipline  of  said  Church  advises  the  erec- 
tion of  suitable  houses  in  the  several  charges  in  order 
to  remedy  this  evil,  and,  whereas,  the  committee  ap- 
pointed by  the  Quarterly  Meeting  Conference  of 
said  Church  held  at  Grafton,  Lorain  County,  Ohio, 
December  26,  1829,  consisting  of  Lewis  Ely,  George 
Gilbert,  Hiram  Emmonds,  Clark  Eldred  and  William 
Peters  are  authorized  to  select  a  suitable  site,  and 
adopt  such  measures  as  shall  be  most  likely  to  effect 


114         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

the  object ;  and,  whereas,  as  the  said  Committee 
have  fixed  upon  Elyria  as  a  suitable  place.  There- 
fore, we  the  undersigned  do  agree  to  pay  to  the  said 
Committee  or  to  some  person  duly  authorized  to 
receive  the  same,  the  several  sums  annexed  to  our 
names,  either  in  money,  labor,  material  or  grain — 
the  labor  to  be  performed  and  the  material  to  be 
delivered  within  six  months;  the  grain  to  be  paid 
within  one  year,  and  the  money  within  one  year  in 
four  quarterly  payments.  Elyria,  Lorain  County, 
Ohio  February  12,  1830." 

NAMES  OF  THE  SUBSCRIBERS. 

Stanton  Sholes,  George  E.  Gilbert,  Kaymond 
Starr,  Anson  Kinney,  Pheneas  Johnson,  Joseph 
Kea,  Wing  Walker,  Heber  G.  Sekins,  Wm.  Peters, 
Morgan  Jordon,  Hiram  Smith,  Eliah  Park,  Clark 
Eldred,  Watterman  Sweet,  William  Long,  Cornelius 
Seely,  Charles  Abby,  Alex  Porter,  Phillip  Bizzard, 
John  Marsh,  Wm.  Goodwin,  Lindsay  Bennett,  John 
Sparr,  Francis  Herrick,  James  Vanosdall,  Moses 
Eldred,  D.  B.  Packer,  Levi  Mills,  Liman  Howk,  Asa 
Hamilton,  I.  W.  Crosby,  D.  C.  Hecock,  Joab 
Marsh,  Elijah  Adams,  Thomas  Cook,  Or  in  Hurlbut, 
Thos.  Briggs,  John  Adams,  Alvin  Briggs,  Philiip 
Bradford,  Thos.  Briggs  jr.,  H.  F.  Adams,  John 
Barnum,  Wm.  Jordon,  Lorenzo  D.  Rowe,  Herman 
Clark,  Harris  Emmons,  Thomas  Cole,  James  McMel- 


METHODISM  IN  OBERLIN.  115 

Ion,  Henry  R.  Ferris,  Ruel  Long,  Lewis  Ely,  Samuel 
Taylor,  David  Powers,  Cornelius  Yanderburg,  J.  B. 
Andrews,  Aaron  Root. 

These  were  the  names  of  the  first  subscribers  and 
the  amounts  signed  were  from  one  dollar  up  to  ten, 
the  principal  part  to  be  paid  in  work  or  grain. 
Capt.  Stanton  S holes  gave  a  lot  for  the  house  and 
signed  twenty  dollars  in  money,  but  failing  to  have 
the  money  at  the  time  it  became  due,  he  and  his  wife, 
Mrs.  Lucy  Sholes,  turned  out  all  of  their  gold  and 
silverware  in  the  house  to  pay  the  debt.  During  this 
Conference  year  we  were  favored  with  a  glorious 
revival  in  Elyria,  and  some  twenty  or  more  accessions 
to  the  Church.  Among  this  number  was  the  con- 
version of  Lawyer  E.  Hamline.  Soon  after  he  be- 
came a  local  minister  of  more  than  ordinary  preaching 
ability.  Among  the  early  membership  of  Elyria  in 
1836,  were  R.  L.  Howard,  M.  D.,  and  wife,  S.  Strong, 
M.  D.,  and  wife,  S.  W.  Bauldwin  and  wife,  Edward 
R.  Jewett,  exhorter,  and  wife,  and  others  of  precious 
memory. 

METHODISM    IN    OBERLIN. 

I  claim  to  have  been  the  first  Methodist  minister 
who  ever  attempted  to  establish  Methodism  in  Ober- 
lin.  Some  eight  miles  southwest  of  Elyria  is  the 
thriving  village  of  Oberlin,  so  named  after  Rev. 
John  Frederick  Oberlin,  pastor  of  Waldback,  Switz- 


116         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

erland.  He  was  born  in  Strasburg,  in  1840,  and 
died  at  Waldback  in  1826.  Kev.  John  J.  Shipherd 
was  the  principal  person  who  established  the  present 
town  sight.  In  August,  1832,  Mr.  Shipherd  rode 
over  the  ground  for  inspection.  It  was  at  that  time 
a  dense  forest,  low,  wet,  and  an  unpromising  sight 
for  a  town.  However,  having  the  promise  by  Messrs. 
Street  and  Hughes,  of  New  Haven,  Conn.,  of  five 
hundred  acres  of  land,  in  1832  Mr.  Shipherd,  in  com- 
pany with  a  few  others,  established  the  present  site 
on  which  the  college  buildings  now  stand  in  Oberlin. 
In  1833-1  a  charter  for  University  privileges  was 
granted  by  the  Ohio  Legislature.  Soon  after  this, 
improvement  commenced  in  this  new  village,  and 
immigration  towards  the  Oberlin  colony.  In  1834 
the  board  of  trustees,  in  counsel  assembled,  resolved 
to  open  the  school  for  the  reception  of  colored  persons 
of  both  sexes,  and  to  extend  equal  rights  to  all  per- 
sons of  good  moral  character,  male  or  female.  In 
January,  1835,  Messrs.  Mahan,  Finney  and  Morgan 
were  appointed  as  teachers.  Such  was  the  beginning 
and  the  present  prospect  of  this  prosperous  institution 
of  learning  in  the  village  of  Oberlin,  Lorain  county, 
Ohio.  There  were  some  things  connected  with  the 
official  members  of  this  institution  of  learning  at  an 
early  day  in  my  ministry,  which  were  not  as  pleasant 
as  I  could  have  wished,  owing  to  their  desire  for 
monopoly  and  exclusive  right  of  Church  membership, 


METHODISM  IN  OBERLIN.  117 

which  of  late  years  has  become  more  favorable  and 
satisfactory.  A  number  of  students  belonging  to 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  desired  the  ministry 
of  their  own  denomination  while  attending  their 
college  course.  The  Oberlinites,  as  they  were  recog- 
nized, had  so  modified  their  Church  polity  that  any 
person  professing  Christianity  could  unite  with  them 
without  relinquishing  their  peculiar  faith,  and  this 
was  considered  a  sufficient  justification  for  their  ex- 
clusive right  of  Church  membership. 

However  there  were  some  privileges  which  Meth- 
odist students  preparing  for  the  ministry  could  not 
have  in  the  Oberlin  Church,  and  which  some  of  these 
students  wished  to  enjoy  before  they  had  finished 
their  education.  The  Presbyterian  Church  could  not 
give  them  license  as  exhorters  or  as  local  preachers. 
Accordingly,  being  requested  to  establish  preaching 
and  to  organize  a  class,  I  requested  a  Methodist 
brother  of  Elyria,  who  was  well  acquainted  with 
Oberlin  and  members  of  the  faculty,  to  go  and  visit 
the  place  and  ascertain  of  the  president  and  faculty 
if  they  had  any  objection  to  my  preaching  and  es- 
tablishing a  Methodist  class  or  Church  in  the  village  of 
Oberlin,  supposing  they  had  the  right  to  say,  as  they 
had  settled  and  opened  an  institution  of  learning  on 
their  own  premises.  The  reply,  as  I  was  informed 
by  Mr.  Heber  Sekins,  "  If  Mr.  Gavitt  thinks  he  can 
preach  any  better  than  the  faculty,  then  he  can 
come."     I  presume  this  was  not  meant  in  earnest. 


118  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

When  I  arrived  in  Oberlin  and  asked  the  privilege  of 
their  Church  or  the  music  hall  as  a  place  for  public 
worship,  they  objected,  stating  there  was  no  need  of 
any  other  Church,  and  they  preferred  not  to  have 
any  other  Church  organization  in  their  village.  1 
understood  Mr.  Sekins  to  say  you  had  no  objections, 
providing  I  thought  I  could  preach  better  than  the 
faculty.  "  Do  you  think  you  can  V  "  If  I  did  not 
I  should  not  be  here.  And  if  you  have  any  doubt, 
give  me  a  chance  and  then  judge  for  yourselves." 
Mr.  Finney  said  t\iej  had  purchased  and  settled  in 
Russia,  for  the  purpose  of  building  up  an  institution 
of  learning,  and  they  proposed  to  keep  the  place  free 
from  any  conflicting  influences." 

"  Well,"  said  I,  "  my  good  brother,  that  may  be  all 
right  and  the  best  thing  for  your  Church  and  the 
Institution,  but  it  was  somewhat  unfortunate  that 
the  Lord  had  not  been  informed  of  that  fact'in  time. 
Then  he  would  have  said,  'Go  ye  into  all  the  world 
and  preach  my  Gospel  to  every  creature — except  in 
Oberlin.'  There  they, want  the  exclusive  right  of 
Church  membership,  and  no  Methodist  interference 
whatever."  Mr.  Finney,  in  the  goodness  of  his  heart 
smiled,  and  said,  "Well,  Mr.  Gavitt,  we  will  take 
the  subject  under  consideration,  and  will  give  you 
an  answer."  But  for  some  cause  this  was  forgotten 
or  overlooked  in  the  matters  of  more  importance 
with  them. 

However,  I  secured  a  place  in  the  house  of  Rev. 


METHODISM  IN  OBERLIN.  119 

Safford,  a  local  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  commenced  preaching  and  formed  a 
class  of  some  twenty  members,  and  by  the  consent 
of  this  society,  licensed  three  young  men  to  exhort, 
Mr.  Fairbanks,  Peat,  and  George  Woodruff.  Mr. 
Fairbanks  went  South  as  a  missionary  among  the 
colored  people.  Mr.  Peat  went  East  and  became  a 
useful  and  popular  minister  in  Pennsylvania.  Mr. 
Woodruff  for  many  years  was  a  member  of  the 
New  York  Conference,  and  filled  many  of  their  best 
charges,  and  was  the  Secretary  of  the  last  two 
General  Conferences.  I  was  much  attached  to  this 
excellent  brother.  While  pursuing,  his  collegiate 
course,  he  made  my  house  his  home  during  his 
leisure  days.  We  met  but  seldom  after  he  went 
East,  but  continued  our  correspondence  for  a  number 
of  years.  The  last  pleasant  interview  with  him  was 
at  the  late  General  Conference  held  at  Cincinnati,  in 
May,  1880,  where  we  spent  some  time  together 
renewing  our  early  acquaintance.  At  this  time  he 
appeared  to  be  in  perfect  health,  and  was  master 
of  his  honorable  position.  But  oh !  how  frail  is 
human  life.  Since  penning  these  few  lines  of  early 
days,  I  have  been  informed  that  Rev.  Dr.  George  W. 
Woodruff  is  no  more.  Precious  Brother ;  if  God 
has  smiled  and  bid  thee  come,  and  thy  faithful  work 
on  earth  is  done,  why  should  I  complain  or  mourn 
thy  death,  when  all  is  well. 


120         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAG8. 

My  dear  and  honored  friend,  farewell  and  peace 
to  thy  honored  worth. 

IMPROMPTU  REPLY. 

As  1  have  before  stated,  the  School  House  in 
Elyria  was  the  only  place  for  public  worship,  and 
was  occupied  by  all  denominations  in  turn. 

One  Sabbath  morning  as  I  was  about  ready  to 
take  my  text,  the  pastor  of  the  Campbellite  Church 
came  in  with  bis  flock,  and  demanded  the  house,  as 
it  was  his  day  for  preaching.  Not  being  disposed  to 
have  any  controversy  with  him,  I  turned  and  asked 
Brother  Hamline  if  we  could  have  his  house  to  preach 
in.  He  at  once  consented,  and  I  then  invited  the 
membership  and  others  to  meet  me  at  that  place. 
As  we  were  leaving  and  but  few  remaining,  the  Camp- 
bellite minister  rose  and  said  with  an  air  of  triumph  : 
''The  wicked  flee  when  no  man  pursueth,  but  the 
righteous  are  as  bold  as  a  lion." 

Father  Hamline  had  reached  the  door,  but  turning 
around  and  facing  the  minister  returned  the  compli- 
ment, "  A  prudent  man  forseeth  the  evil  and  hideth 
himself,  but  the  simple  pass  on,  and  are  punished." 
This  apt  quotation  and  stinging  reply,  had  a  salutary 
effect  and  did  much  to  lessen  the  minister's  influence 
in  the  community.  Jebez  Hamline  was  a  local 
preacher  and  had  been  an  itinerant  minister  in  one 
of  the  Eastern  Conferences.     His  wife  and  children 


DANCING  HALL  IN  DOVER.  121 

were  members,  and  their  influence  was  favorable  to 
the  interest  of  Methodism  in  Elyria.  But  few  of 
this  family  are  left.  The  most  of  them  have  en- 
tered their  reward  on  high. 

DANCING  HALL  IN  DOVER. 

During  this  year  we  were  favored  with  a  glorious 
revival  of  religion  at  Dover  Center.  Methodism 
had  never  been  introduced  in  this  place.  The  Pres- 
byterians had  a  church  and  were  the  leading  denom- 
ination. There  being  no  convenient  place  for  public 
worship  as  we  were  denied  the  use  of  the  school 
house,  the  next  best  thing  was  to  rent  Mr.  Asa 
Blood's  ball  room,  this  being  at  the  center  of  the 
town.  I  was  to  pay  him  five  dollars  a  day  and 
night,  and  the  landlord  was  to  be  present  during 
public  service,  and  assist  in  keeping  order.  Having 
no  money  to  advance,  1  turned  him  over  my  horse 
and  equipage  as  collateral  security.  I  continued  the 
meeting  four  weeks,  preaching  and  praying  day  and 
night,  without  any  assistance. 

During  this  time  there  were  fifty- six  conversions 
and  forty-four  accessions  to  the  Church.  Among 
this  number  was  the  landlord  and  his  wife,  Mrs. 
Wood,  wife  of  Ex-Governor  Wood,  of  Ohio,  who 
were  living  at  this  time  in  Rock  Port;  also  two 
young  ladies  by  the  name  of  Atwell.  The  eldest 
sister  became  the  wife  of  Rev.  A.  N.  Fillmore,  D.  D., 


122         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

of  the  East  Genesee  Conference,  and  the  younger 
sister  the  wife  of  Rev.  William  L.  Harris,  D.  D., 
LL.  D.,  now  Bishop  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  Mr.  Blood  and  his  family  some  years 
after  settled  in  Laport,  near  Elyria,  and  for  many 
years  he  was  an  active  member  in  the  Church  as  a 
steward,  leader  and  trustee.  His  only  daughter 
became  the  wife  of  Rev.  William  Seeley,  for  many 
years  a  member  of  the  North  Ohio  Conference,  but 
now  of  the  Erie  Conference.  The  conversion  of  Mr. 
Blood  and  his  family  was  a  veiy  great  relief  to  me, 
as  this  cancelled  all  my  indebtedness  to  him,  restored 
to  me  my  horse  and  equipage,  and  the  ball  room 
was  consecrated  as  a  place  for  public  worship  to  the 
interest  of  the  Church  and  the  glory  of  God. 

Methodism  was  fully  established  in  Dover,  and 
the  influence  of  this  meeting  felt  along  the  Lake 
Shore,  through  Avon  and  extended  to  Ohio  City, 
West  of  Cleveland,  and  was  a  fine  opening  all  along 
the  Eastern  and  Southern  line  of  the  Western  Re- 
serve.  Grand  and  glorious  were  the  future  results 
of  this  meeting,  and  contributed  largely  to  the  well- 
fare  and  prosperity  of  the  Black  River  Circuit.  It 
was  in  this  section  of  the  country  and  near  Avon, 
Lorain  County,  where  I  first  became  acquainted  with 
Rev.  Joseph  Wykes,  a  local  minister  fresh  from 
England,  and  but  little  acquainted  with  American 
Methodism.     I  employed  him  to  travel  with  me  for 


pastor's  salary.  123 

a  few  months,  and  from  this  section  of  the  country 
he  was  recommended  and  admitted  into  Conference, 
and  for  many  years  has  been  an  acceptable  member 
of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference,  and  is  now  recog- 
nized as  among  the  fathers,  and  like  others,  will 
soon  be  politely  invited  to  retire  among  the  super- 
anuates  and  travel  with  others  on  the  poverty  road 
leading  to  Heaven. 

pastor's    salary. 

In  1830,  at  the  time  I  commenced  preaching  on 
the  Western  Reserve,  the  salary  of  a  Methodist 
minister  was  a  meagre  affair.  My  colleague  was  al- 
lowed $175  for  himself,  wife  and  child  ;  I  was 
allowed,  being  a  young  man,  $75.  These  sala- 
ries were  to  be  paid  in  such  things  as  the  people 
could  well  spare.  My  colleague,  spending  much  of 
his  time  on  the  work  among  the  people,  was  enabled 
to  help  himself  and  his  family  on  deok.  I  preferred 
boarding  during  my  rest  days  and  to  pay  for  my 
board  in  such  things  as  I  received,  and  proposed  to 
take  my  share  of  the  quarterage  in  black  sails,  as 
this  was  the  next  thing  to  money. 

And,  as  it  may  be  of  interest  to  some  of  my  readers 
to  know  what  I  mean  by  this  commodity,  I  will  ex- 
plain. The  first  time  I  became  acquainted  with  this 
product  was  among  these  Yankees  on  this  Reserve, 
and  what  a  Yankee  can  not  invent  and  make  it  pay 


124         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

is  not  worth  having.  The  method  pursued  by  a  new 
settler  to  clear  his  farm  is  first  to  cut  down  all  the 
underbrush,  which  he  piles  into  heaps,  he  then  be- 
gins to  fell  the  trees  and  to  cut  them  into  such 
lengths  as  may  be  drawn  by  one  yoke  of  oxen.  The 
limbs  are  next  cut  off  and  carefully  thrown  into 
heaps.  After  he  has  gone  through  as  much  land  as 
he  wishes  to  clear,  which  is  called  a  fallow,  he  leaves 
it  lying  there  during  the  summer  for  the  purpose  of 
drying,  and  then  about  the  middle  of  August  sets  it 
on  fire,  which  runs  over  the  whole  ground,  burning 
up  all  the  leaves,  limbs  and  rubbish.  After  the  fire 
has  done  its  first  execution,  the  settler  makes  a  bee, 
inviting  a  number  of  his  neighbors  to  come  and  help 
him  log  and  pile  the  large  timber  which  the  fire  did 
not  consume.  He  provides  a  gallon  or  more  of  whisky, 
a  plenty  of  good  cold  water,  kills  a  deer  or  turkey, 
or  a  few  chickens.  His  wife  provides  butter,  honey, 
cakes  and  cheese,  and  about  half  a  bushel  of  pump- 
kin pies,  tea,  coffee  and  all  other  good  things.  As 
an  act  of  kindness  all  turn  out  on  the  day  appointed, 
with  their  wives  to  assist  the  lady  of  the  house  in 
preparing  the  supper  for  all  hands  when  the  work 
of  the  day  was  ended. 

The  men  enter  the  field,  some  with  axes  and  others 
with  teams,  and  commence  chopping  and  drawing 
the  logs  to  various  parts  of  the  ground,  which  are 
then  piled  up  by  means  of  hand  spikes.     In  this  way 


pastor's  salary.  125 

some  eight  or  ten  persons  who  are  accustomed  to  this 
kind  of  work  will  log  up  several  acres  ready  for 
burning  in  a  single  afternoon,  and  by  a  little  atten- 
tion in  rolling  the  brands  together  the  whole  of  the 
timber  is  soon  burned  up.  These  log  heaps  are  gen- 
erally set  on  fire  early  in  the  evening,  and  by  the 
dampness  of  the  night  will  burn  much  better  than 
in  the  day  time,  and  are  principally  consumed  by 
morning.  As  soon  as  the  ground  has  been  harrowed 
a  few  times,  it  is  prepared  for  seeding.  But  before 
this  is  done  one  of  the  essential  things  is  to  save  all 
the  ashes,  which  are  drawn  off  the  ground  and  put 
into  a  dry  place  until  seeding  time  is  over.  The  pro- 
cess by  which  these  ashes  are  manufactured  and 
made  into  black  salts  is  by  leaching  them  and  boiling 
down  the  lye  into  a  thick  substance  until  it  is  much 
like  domestic  hard  soap,  and  when  well  prepared  can 
be  cut  into  cakes  and  packed  into  boxes  or  barrels 
ready  for  market,  and  is  used  for  various  purposes. 
It  is  converted  into  pearlash,  salaratus,  and  is  used  in 
coloring  and  the  manufacturing  of  glassware.  On 
the  Western  Reserve  at  an  early  day  it  was  a  very 
great  help  to  the  new  beginner.  New  land  prepared 
as  above  stated,  sown  with  winter  wheat,  produces 
an  excellent  crop,  and  furnishes  in  the  late  fall  and 
early  spring,  a  delightful  pasture  for  wild  animals. 
In  Spencer  township,  Medina  county,  Ohio,  in  one  of 
these  new  fields  of  wheat,  I  counted  sixty-nine  deers 
in  one  drove,  and  in  Wellington  township,  in  Lorain 


126         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

county,  on  the  farm  owned  by  Brother  Bradley,  I 
went  out  in  the  afternoon  to  prepare  a  sermon  for 
the  coining  Sabbath,  and  while  secreted  in  a  ticket  of 
undergrowth,  towards  evening  the  deers  commenced 
entering  the  new  wheat  field  until  I  counted  fifty- 
four  deers  and  three  large  elks.  A  beautiful  sight. 
The  Black  River  country,  in  1830,  abounded  with 
wild  game. 

RINGLETS  AND  RELIGION 

At  the  close  of  the  conference  year  on  the  Black 
River  Circuit,  I  became  favorably  acquainted  with  a 
young  lady  raised  and  educated  by  Capt.  Stanton 
Sholes  and  his  lady,  Mrs.  Sholes  being  her  sister. 
She  had  just  returned  home  from  school,  having 
graduated  at  the  Western  Reserve  College  at  Hud- 
derson,  Ohio.  Of  the  merits  of  this  young  lady 
much  had  been  said.  She  was  the  subject  of  the 
following  article,  contributed  to  the  Ladled  Reposi- 
tory, by  a  popular  young  minister.  It  happily  de- 
scribes the  prejudice  at  that  early  day  against  dress 
and  personal  decoration : 

"I  suppose,"  said  the  young  minister,  "Miss 
Sophia,  we  shall  soon  see  those  curls  laid  aside." 

The  remark  was  made  in  a  pleasant  tone,  and 
with  a  smile ;  yet  there  was  an  expression  of  the 
countenance  which  evinced  that  he  was  serious  and 
meant  what  he  said. 

"  I  do  not  know,  indeed,  sir,  but  I  think  not,"  re- 


KINGLETS  AND  RELIGION.  127 

plied  the  fair  girl,  lifting  her  eyes  from  a  book  she 
had  in  her  hand,  and  modestly  looking  the  minister 
in  the  face.  "  I  hope  to  be  truly  pious,  but  I  think  it 
will  make  no  difference  in  my  feelings  on  this  sub- 
ject, for  certainly,  religion  does  not  consist  in  dress, 
and  as  to  my  curls,  I  am  sure  I  am  not  proud  of  them. 
Do  you  think  I  am,  Lucy,"  turning  to  her  sis- 
ter, who  had  just  then  entered  the  room.  Mrs. 
Sholes  was  a  pious  sensible  woman.  She  looked  her 
young  sister  kindly  in  the  face,  and  paused  for  a 
moment. 

At  length  she  replied,  "  I  am  sure  I  cannot  say  ; 
your  own  conscience,  Sophia,  will  give  the  best  an- 
swer to  that  question." 

Again  she  repeated  the  same  sentiment  which  she 
had  expressed  before  :  "  I  do  not  think  it  is  pride> 
indeed  I  don't." 

The  minister  smiled  and  said,  "Well,  we  shall 
see."  And,  as  he  well  knew  that  before  these  things 
are  seen  in  their  true  lieiit  the  heart  must  be  re- 
newed, he  dismissed  the  subject,  lest  fixing  her 
thoughts  too  exclusively  on  minor  matters,  the  one 
thing  needful  might  be  forgotten. 

Sophia  J.  Halsey  was  an  orphan.  How  many 
tender  things  cluster  around  that  word.  But  we 
stop  not  to  dwell  on  them  now.  The  love  of  the 
older  sister  was  much  like  that  of  a  mother.  Such 
a  sister  had  Miss  Sophia,  whose  care  and  love  were 


12S         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

extended  to  form  her  mind  to  virtue  and  excellency. 
The  husband  of  Mrs.  Sholes  was  also  interested  in 
her  welfare,  and  watched  over  her  as  a  tender  plant, 
and  with  affectionate  liberality  supplied  the  place 
of  a  father.  Her  education  was  well  attended  to,  and 
this  kindness  she  repaid  by  such  assiduous  applica- 
tion to  her  studies  as  left  her  without  a  superior  in 
intelligence  and  science  amono-  her  young  associates. 
Seventeen  summers  had  strewn  their  flowers  in  her 
pathway.  She  was  graceful  in  person  and  unassum- 
ing in  her  manners,  delicate  as  the  lily,  and  almost 
as  pale  ;  nevertheless  she  possessed  a  mind  disposed 
to  sober  thoughts,  and  a  physical  constitution  much 
more  vigorous  than  her  appearance  indicated. 

Mr.  Sholes  and  his  family  had  moved  to  North 
Amherst,  a  small  village  in  Lorain  county,  Ohio. 
Here,  at  the  request  of  the  principal  citizens,  Miss 
Halsey  consented  to  become  the  instructor  of  the 
youth  in  the  village.  The  school  house  was  built  of 
round  logs,  after  the  fashion  of  the  times,  and  stood 
on  the  brow  of  a  hill. 

In  this  humble  edifice  did  Miss  Halsey  commence 
the  instruction  of  the  youth  of  Amherst,  a  work  for 
which  she  subsequently  evinced  superior  qualifica- 
tions. Thus,  instead  of  wasting  the  morning  of  life 
in  idleness  and  inactivity,  she  entered  a  path  of  use- 
fulness which  led  her  in  after  life  to  become  the  pre- 
ceptress of  a  high  school  of    much  celebrity,  and  to 


RINGLETS  AND  RELIGION.  129 

aid  in  improving  the  minds  and  manners  of  young 
ladies  of  distinguished  families.  Her  services  were 
sought  for,  and  at  last  obtained  by  Kev.  Henry  O. 
Sheldon,  the  agent  of  the  Nor  walk  Academy  and 
Presiding  Elder  of  the  Norwalk  District,  and  this 
was  the  first  school  of  any  note  or  importance  in 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Ohio.  Soon  after 
this  Rev.  J.  E.  Chaplin  was  appointed  President  of 
this  Institution  of  learning. 

The  village  school  house  in  Amherst  was  also  the 
village  sanctuary.  It  was  an  afternoon  in  May, 
1828,  when  the  writer  of  this  article  arrived  in  Am- 
herst and  preached  in  this  log  temple.  Among  those 
who  seemed  impressed  under  this  discourse  was  Miss 
Sophia.  She  remained  after  the  public  assembly 
had  been  dismissed,  and  tarried  with  the  member- 
ship for  religious  instruction,  and  with  tears  ex- 
pressed a  resolution  to  seek  the  pearl  of  great  price. 

It  was  after  they  had  returned  to  the  home  of 
her  adopted  parents,  and  the  kind  hospitality  of  Mr. 
Sholes  and  his  lady,  that  the  young  minister  was 
first  introduced  to  Miss  Halsey,  and  had  this  conver- 
sation with  her. 

Several  weeks  passed  away.  A  few  miles  from 
the  shore  of  Lake  Erie  a  large  concourse  of  people 
had  assembled  for  worship.  Among  those  who  bowed 
at  the  altar  was  the  gay  but  penitent  Sophia.  She 
rose,  confiding  in  the  Savior  and  happy  in  His  love. 
9 


130        CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

"  What  has  become  of  those  ringlets  V  said  the 
minister  before  referred  to,  on  his  next  visit  to  the 
residence  of  Mr.  Sholes. 

Sophia  smiled  and  replied,  "  I  thought  it  was  not 
pride,  but  now  I  see  that  it  was  nothing  but  pride 
which  kept  me  from  the  Savior.  I  trust  you  will  see 
them  no  more."  From  that  eventful  period  of  her 
life  she  studied  to  have  her  adorning  that  of  a  meek 
and  quiet  spirit.  It  was  not  merely  that  she  ban- 
ished the  luxuriant  wreaths  from  her  temples  that 
we  commend  her ;  for  this  is  a  small  matter — only 
an  index  to  higher  things  ;  but  that  in  doing  so  she 
adopted  a  governing  principle  in  the  outset  of  her 
Christian  life,  from  which  no  consideration  could  in- 
duce her  to  swerve.  It  was  not  that  in  this  particu- 
lar case  she  abandoned  a  mode  which  fashion  itself 
afterwards  condemned,  but  that  in  becoming  a  pro- 
fessor of  religion  she  resolved  in  all  respects  to  set 
an  example  worthy  of  imitation. 

And  was  she  less  loved  or  less  interesting  ?  Cer- 
tainly not,  in  the  estimation  of  the  sensible  and  good. 
And  even  some  of  her  gayest  associates,  who  had  not 
the  courage  to  imitate  her  example,  admitted  that 
plainness  (another  word  for  modesty)  became  Sophia 
exceedingly.  Nor  did  many  years  pass  until  she  had 
offers  for  marriage  from  the  gay  and  the  wealthy, 
who  were  attracted  by  her  superior  intellect,  un- 
assuming modesty,  and  refined  Christian  deportment. 


RINGLETS  AND  RELIGION.  131 

But  after  much  reflection  and  deep  study,  and  earn- 
est prayer,  as  to  the  responsibility  of  a  married  life, 
she  gave  her  hand  and  heart  to  a  zealous  and  respect- 
able Christian  minister,  who  fully  appreciated  her 
moral  worth  ;  and  his  usefulness  was  promoted  in  no 
small  degree  by  her  piety  and  influence.  Her  ex- 
ample has  been  salutary  in  contributing  to  diminish 
the  rage  for  extravagance  and  costly  apparel.  Yet 
she  displayed  a  superior  taste  and  neatness  in  dress ; 
and  her  costume  may  illustrate  the  remark  that  sim- 
plicity is  an  element  of  beauty.  To  the  fair  reader, 
let  me  say,  in  how  amiable  a  light  do  these  young 
ladies  appear,  who,  though  surrounded  by  the  gaities 
of  an  extravagant  age,  still  have  the  good  taste  and 
moral  courage  to  preserve  and  maintain  the  chaste 
simplicity  of  an  attire  which,  while  it  does  not  dis- 
card elegance  and  propriety,  is  in  strict  accordance 
with  the  spirit  of  that  religion,  and  whose  abiding 
and  changeless  requirement  is:  "Be  not  conformed 
to  this  world." 

Lamda,  the  author  of  this  tribute  of  respect  and 
kind  admonition,  who  had  made  Mr.  Shole's  house 
his  home  and  had  frequently  enjoyed  their  hospital- 
ity, was  fully  competent  to  appreciate  the  merits  of 
young  ladies,  being  an  interesting  and  a  popular 
young  minister. 

I  trust  Sophia  J.  and  Leonard  B.  have  entered 
upon  that  beautiful  shore  where  parting  will  be  no 
more. 


132  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 


MATRIMONIAL    LIFE. 


I  was  married  in  North  Amherst,  Lorain  county, 
Ohio,  by  Rev.  William  B.  Christie,  presiding  elder 
of  the  Wooster  District,  to  Miss  Sophia  J.  Halsey, 
on  the  20th  day  of  June,  A.  D.  1833,  at  the  home  of 
Captain  and  Mrs.  Stanton  Sholes — the  adopted  pa- 
rents of  Miss  Sophia — in  the  presence  of  many  friends 
and  acquaintances. 

Sophia  J.  Gavitt  died  in  Delaware,  Ohio,  May  9, 
1869,  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  that  place, 
having  accompanied  me  in  my  ministry  in  Ohio, 
Michigan  and  the  Northwestern  Territory  for  thirty- 
six  years.  She  was  the  mother  of  seven  children — 
four  on  earth  and  three  in  heaven.  Those  living : 
Lucy  G.,  William  H.,  Hasley  C.  and  George  S.  De- 
ceased: Stanton  G.,  George  H.  and  Celia  L.  All 
these  children  were  baptized  in  infancy  by  Rev.  John 
H.  Power,  excepting  our  first  born,  a  precious  little 
boy  of  some  four  years  of  age,  who  died  with  the 
cholera  in  what  is  now  the  city  of  Davenport,  Iowa. 
This  was  at  that  day  the  grand  rendezvous  of  the 
Black  Hawk  Nation,  and  Sioux  and  Fox  Indians, 
with  whom  I  had  been  sent  to  labor  as  a  missionary, 
in  connection  with  the  white  settlements  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Upper  Mississippi,  before  there  were  any 
States  in  that  territory.  There  being  no  cemetery 
near,  we  buried  our  precious  little  Stanton  on  Rock 
Island,  there  to  await  the  resurrection  of  the  silent 


MATRIMONIAL  LIFE.  133 

and  lonely  dead.  I  have  often  had  a  desire  to  visit 
that  lonely  grave.  The  day  before  we  were  to  start 
for  our  former  home  in  Ohio,  myself  and  my  now 
sainted  wife  crossed  the  river  in  a  canoe  and  knelt 
together  at  his  grave,  and  promised  there  and  then 
by  God's  assisting  grace  we  would  so  live  as  to  meet 
our  child  in  Heaven. 

I  think  that  I  fully  understand  the  meaning  of 
David  when  he  says :  "  Thy  waves  and  Thy  billows 
have  gone  over  me."  God  only  knows  the  sorrow  of 
those  itinerant  ministers  and  their  wives  who  bury 
their  little  ones  in  distant  lands,  or  from  circuit  to 
circuit,  and  perhaps  never  are  able  to  visit  their 
graves  again  and  plant  the  rose  as  a  token  of  a 
mother's  love  or  a  father's  care.  Every  heart  has  its 
own  sorrows,  and  I  have  mine.  One  lovely  child 
sleeps  on  Rock  Island,  another  is  laid  away  at  Akron, 
in  Summit  county,  Ohio.  A  precious  wife  and  a 
loved  daughter  lie  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Dela- 
ware, Ohio.  Thanks  be  to  God  for  the  doctrine  of 
the  resurrection,  when  parents  and  children  shall 
meet  to  part  no  more. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

WYANDOTTE    MISSION,    UPPEK    SANDUSKY. 

This,  my  second  appointment  in  the  Ohio  Confer- 
ence, which  was  sought  for  by  me  and  obtained 
through  the  kindness  and  influence  of  my  colleague, 
Rev.  Thomas  Thompson.  Having  remained  a  short 
time  with  these  brethren,  I  became  much  attached 
to  them,  but  at  our  first  quarterly  meeting,  Mr.  Cass 
Bigelow,  the  Presiding  Elder,  informed  my  colleague 
he  would  have  to  remove  me  to  supply  the  Norwalk 
charge,  and  would  send  a  young  man  to  take  my 
place.  Brother  Thompson  said  he  was  fearful  that 
it  would  be  detrimental  to  the  interests  of  the  mis- 
sion, and  that  there  would  be,  in  his  opinion,  a  gen- 
eral dissatisfaction,  as  the  membership  had  become 
much  attached  to  the  young  man. 

The  Elder  said  that  perhaps  it  would  not  be  best 
to  say  anything  about  the  change  until  after  Brother 
Gavitt  had  left,  and  then  he  would  explain  the  mat- 
ter to  the  people  and  they  would  become  reconciled. 

My  colleague  now  told  me  what  the  Presiding 
Elder  intended  to  do.  I  then  went  to  the  Elder  and 
asked  him  to  let  me  remain.  He  said  he  should  be 
pleased  to  do  so,  but  that  the  interest  of  the  work 
required  the  change;  that  the  Nor  walk  Circuit  was 

(13-4) 


WYANDOTTE  MISSION,  UPPER  SANDUSKY.  1  35 

of  more  importance  and  the  people  much  harder  to 
please,  and  that  at  their  quarterly  meeting  the  offi- 
ciary had  requested  him  to  send  me  upon  their  work. 
"  Have  you  said  anything  to  the  Indians  ?"  "  I  have 
not,"  he  said,  and  requested  me  not  to  mention  it,  as 
it  might  produce  some  excitement  unfavorable  to  the 
quarterly  meeting.  "  Well,  if  I  must  leave,1'  said  I, 
"would  you  have  any  objection  to  my  preaching  to 
them  once  more,  on  Sunday  evening  ?" 

"  Not  any,  provided  you  say  nothing  about  leav- 
ing," said  the  Elder,  to  which  I  consented. 

On  Sabbath  evening  I  took  for  my  text,  "  Finally, 
brethren,  farewell,"  and  the  nearest  I  came  to  re- 
vealing the  secret.  I  exhorted  them  to  remain  faith- 
ful unto  death,  and  I  would  try,  by  the  help  of  God, 
to  meet  them  in  Heaven.  As  soon  as  I  said  amen,  I 
left  for  my  room  at  the  Mission  House ;  and  when 
the  congregation  was  dismissed  they  made  for 
Brother  Thompson  to  know  what  was  up.  He  re- 
ferred them  to  the  Presiding  Elder,  and  then  Brother 
Bigelow  was  besieged,  as  all  were  anxious  to  know 
what  was  meant  by  the  young  minister's  farewell 
sermon.  The  Elder  requested  them  to  meet  him  on 
Monday  morning  at  the  Mission  Boom,  and  he  would 
explain. 

On  Monday  morning,  bright  and  early,  they  com- 
menced coming,  men,  women,  and  children,  from  all 


136         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

parts  of  the  reservation,  and  by  8  o'clock  some  fifty 
or  sixty  had  assembled,  and  the  great  mystery  was 
unfolded.  The  Elder  set  forth  his  reason  why  he 
was  about  to  make  the  change,  and  gave  a  full  de- 
scription of  the  young  man  who  would  take  my 
place,  and  this  he  said  was  the  best  he  could  do 
for  them.  While  all  were  in  suspense,  and  the  ex- 
citement at  its  highest  pitch,  Brother  Hicks  took  the 
stand,  being  one  of  the  oldest  members,  and  plead 
for  his  people  and  the  little  ones  attending  the  school, 
Brother  Bigelow  watching  the  big  tears  rolling  down 
this  aged  brother's  tawny  cheeks. 

About  this  time  a  little  girl  belonging  to  the  mis- 
sion took  Brother  Bigelow  by  the  hand,  with  tears 
in  her  eyes,  and  in  the  simplicity  of  her  heart,  said, 
"  Please  don't  take  Brother  Gabby  away  from  us, 
we  all  love  him." 

The  Elder  could  no  longer  resist.  "I  have  no 
more  to  say,"  said  he,  ^  you  may  all  return  home  ; 
Brother  Gavitt  will  remain  with  you." 

They  now  struck  up  one  of  their  hallalujah  hymns; 
and  as  they  were  about  to  start  for  home,  Brother 
Thompson  said,  "  It  is  about  as  I  expected,  and  I  am 
thankful  for  your  sake  and  Brother  Gavitt's.  Now 
we  must  all  go  to  work  and  have  a  good  time  ;  and 
I  look  for  the  outpouring  of  God's  holy  spirit  before 
this  meeting  closes."     And  sure  enough,  our  meet- 


COMMENCEMENT  OF  THE  WYANDOTTE  MISSION.       137 

ings  lasted  several  weeks,  and  proved  a  great  blessing 
to  the  membership,  and  many  precious  souls  were 
converted  and  added  to  the  Church. 

COMMENCEMENT  OF  THE  WYANDOTTE  MISSION. 

The  first  Protestant  missionary  at  Upper  Sandusky 
was  a  colored  local  preacher  by  the  name  of  John 
Stewart,  from  Marietta,  Ohio.  It  appears,  from  his 
own  statement,  that  by  some  mysterious  providence 
he  had  been  directed  to  this  Indian  nation.  Being 
destitute  of  the  means  of  defraying  his  expenses, 
he  determined  to  make  the  attempt  on  foot.  Stop- 
ping by  the  way  and  stating  the  object  of  his  mission 
the  simplicity  of  his  story  enlisted  sympathy,  and  he 
was  kindly  received  and  provided  for.  In  Granville, 
he  remained  some  three  days  at  my  father's,  recruit- 
ing and  arranging  for  the  remainder  of  his  journey. 
Coming,  as  he  did,  all  the  way  on  foot,  the  heels  of 
his  stockings  were  worn  out  and  his  feet  blistered. 
From  this  place,  Mr.  Gavitt  and  others  furnished 
him  with  the  means  to  continue  his  journey. 

Reaching  the  Delaware  Indian  Nation,  then  in 
what  is  now  Marion  county,  Ohio,  Mr.  Stewart  re- 
mained with  them  a  few  days,  but  being  satisfied 
they  were  not  the  people  to  whom  he  was  sent,  he 
continued  his  journey  until  he  reached  Upper  San- 
dusky. He  remained  over  night  with  Mr.  Walker, 
who  kept  the  only  house  of   entertainment,  and  in 


138         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADLLE  BAGS. 

the  morning  stated  his  mission,  and  the  object  he  had 
in  visiting  their  place.  He  was  kindly  provided  for, 
and  was  satisfied  he  had  reached  the  right  place,  and 
had  found  the  people  to  whom  he  had  been  sent. 
Finding  a  colored  man  named  Jonathan  Pointer, 
who  could  speak  the  Indian  language  as  well  as  the 
English,  Mr.  Stewart  employed  him  as  his  interpre- 
ter ;  and  having  secured  the  use  of  the  old  Council 
House,  he  commenced  his  missionary  work.  His  first 
sermon  was  preached  from  the  words  of  our  Lord  to 
his  disciples  on  the  Mount:  "Blessed  are  they  who 
do  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness,"  and  God 
was  pleased  in  his  infinite  mercy  to  own  and  crown 
the  labors  of  this  brother,  at  the  very  commencement 
of  his  work  ;  and  one  among  the  most  prominent 
Indians  of  the  nation  made  a  profession  of  religion 
during  the  day.  The  religious  influence  soon  com- 
menced in  earnest,  and  the  report  of  this  work  spread 
far  and  wide;  and  those  who  were  living  near  the 
Indian  reservation  were  attracted  to  this  place  to 
witness  what  the  Lord  was  doing  for  the  Wyandotte 
Nation  through  the  instrumentality  of  this  colored 
preacher.  It  was  not  long  before  the  local  ministers 
living  near  the  reservation  came  forward  with  pleas- 
ure to  his  assistance,  among  this  number  being- 
Brothers  Cole,  Bowdell,  and  James  Montgomery, 
the  Indian  agent  at  Fort  Seneca.  In  the  fall  of  1816, 
Mr.  Stewart  formed  a  class  at  Upper  Sandusky,  con- 


THE  MISSION  CHURCH  AND  LOCATION.  139 

sisting  of  eighteen  members.  This  was  the  first  In- 
dian mission  established  by  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  this  side  of  the  Alleghany  mountains,  and 
was  the  first  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  established 
at  Upper  Sandusky. 

Mr.  Stewart  remained  the  pastor  at  Upper  San- 
dusky, among  these  Indians,  until  1821,  at  which 
time  this  mission  was  admitted  into  the  Ohio  Con- 
ference and  was  recognized  as  a  part  of  the  Portland 
District.  The  first  white  missionary  assigned  to  this 
mission  was  Moses  Hinkle,  sr.,  not  Rev.  James  B. 
Finley,  as  some  have  stated  in  their  reminiscences  of 
Church  history.  Mr.  Finley  was  the  Presiding  Elder 
of  the  Lebanon  District,  and  not  the  missionary  at 
Upper  Sandusky. 

The  name  of  John  Stewart  will  be  handed  down 
to  the  latest  posterity  for  his  grand  and  noble  work 
among  these  Indians.  This  good  brother  died  at 
Upper  Sandusky  in  1833,  in  the  thirty-seventh  year 
of  his  age,  and  was  buried  in  the  Indian  graveyard  at 
that  place. 

THE    MISSION    CHURCH    AND    LOCATION. 

The^Mission  Meeting  House  was  erected  in  1821, 
during  the  ministry  of  liev.  James  B.  Finley,  a  mile 
or  so  from  Upper  Sandusky.  Hon.  John  C.  Calhoun, 
Secretary  of  State,  appropriated  $1,333  towards  the 
completion  of  this  building.     It  was  a  very  respect- 


140         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

able  Church  for  that  day,  and  greatly  contributed  to 
the  prosperity  of  the  Wyandotte  mission.  It  was 
constructed  of  blue  limestone,  and  the  principal  mason 
work  was  by  Mr.  Herbert,  a  Welchman,  from  Radnor, 
Delaware  county,  Ohio,  the  honored  father  of  Revs. 
Lemuel  and  Benjamin  Herbert,  now  members  of  the 
Central  Ohio  Conference. 

The  Mission  House  stood  on  the  bank  of  the  San- 
dusky river,  built  of  hewn  logs,  with  four  rooms,  two 
above  and  two  below.  There  was  a  small  school- 
house  of  the  same  material ;  also  a  frame  building-, 
occupied  as  a  parsonage,  all  included  in  a  yard  of 
some  two  acres.  Connected  with  the  mission  was  a 
farm  of  one  mile  square,  of  which  some  200  acres 
were  improved  land.  On  this  wTe  raised  the  principal 
part  of  the  provisions  consumed  by  the  family  at  the 
mission.  We  had  a  good  supply  of  grain,  horses, 
cattle,  hogs  and  sheep ;  and  during  the  summer  of 
1832  Mr.  Thompson  and  myself  stacked  about  eighty 
tons  of.  hay,  my  colleague  doing  the  pitching  and 
myself  the  stacking.  Not  being  accustomed  to  this 
kind  of  work,  I  found  I  could  do  much  better  at 
preaching  than  at  farming.  Our  method  of  supply- 
ing the  mission-house  with  fuel  was  somewhat  out  of 
the  common  order  of  things.  We  would  go  into  the 
woods  with  a  cart  and  the  ox  team,  and  the  Indian 
boys  would  fell  a  medium  sized  tree ;  we  would  then 
take  off  one  of  the  wheels,  hitch  the  chain  to  the 


THE  MISSION  CHURCH  AND  ITS  LOCATION.  141 

butt  of  the  tree,  and  draw  it  on  the  axletree,  and  then 
put  on  the  wheel,  and  haul  it  to  the  house  for  the 
school  bo}Ts  to  chop  up.  My  part  of  the  programme 
was  to  drive  the  team.  Having  equipped  myself 
with  an  Indian  suit  of  clothes,  my  personal  appear- 
ance was  much  like  that  of  an  Indian.  One  beautiful 
summer  day  in  August,  as  I  came,  thus  attired,  into 
the  mission  yard  with  the  ox  team,  tree,  top  and  all, 
a  gentleman  having  the  appearance  of  a  Methodist 
preacher  came  riding  up  on  a  very  fine  horse.  He 
remained  silent  for  a  while  surveying  the  scene,  then 
asked  if  that  Avas  the  way  we  obtained  our  fuel.  I 
said  it  was. 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  that  is  something  of  a  curiosity. 
Young  man,  can  you  tell  me  if  the  missionaries  are 
at  home?" 

"  Mr.  Thompson  is  not,"  said  I,  "  he  is  out  on  the 
western  part  of  the  mission,  holding  a  meeting  among 
the  Indians  at  the  Big  Spring." 

"  Is  Mr.  Gavitt,  the  young  man,  at  the  mission  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  I  wish  you  would  inform  him  that  Bishop  Emory 
has  come  a  long  distance  to  visit  the  mission,  and 
would  be  pleased  to  see  him." 

"  Well,  Bishop,  I  am  the  young  man  to  whom  you 
refer." 

"  Are  you  one  of  the  missionaries  at  this  place  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  am  ;  or  at  least  that  is  what  they  call 
me." 


142  CRUMBS    FROM   MY    SADDLE   BAGS. 

"  And  is  this  the  way  you  have  to  work  ?" 

"Yes,  sir,  all  the  missionaries  who  have  been  as- 
signed to  this  station  have  been  required  to  do  all 
they  can.  We  have  to  preach,  pray,  and  work  here. 
But,  Bishop,  dismount,  and  I  will  have  your  horse  put 
away." 

While  he  was  holding  his  saddle-bags  in  his  hand, 
I  called  one  of  the  boys  to  come  and  take  the  horse 
to  the  barn.  This  was  in  Indian :  "  John,  hoo-ahaw 
sus-tu-ret  you  shat  ah  dan-che-radon." 

"  Young  man,  I  am  fearful  you  are  deceiving  me. 
Are  you  not  a  Wyandotte  ?  I  take  you,  sir,  to  be  an 
Indian." 

"  I  am  a  pure  blooded  Yankee,  and  a  relative  of 
yours,"  I  remarked. 

"  I  hope,  sir,  you  are  not  deceiving  me,"  said  he. 

I  conducted  the  Bishop  to  the  mission  room,  and 
then  started  over  to  the  parsonage  to  inform  Mrs. 
Thompson  that  Bishop  Emory  had  come  to  visit  the 
mission,  and  ask  that  she  prepare  him  some  supper  as 
soon  as  convenient.  I  then  went  to  my  room,  stripped 
off  all  my  Indian  clothes,  washed,  combed,  and  put 
on  my  best  suit  of  clothes,  and  returned  again  to  the 
mission  room. 

The  Bishop  was  standing  looking  out  of  the  back 
door,  taking  a  view  of  the  place.  Taking  me  to  be 
a  stranger,  he  passed  the  compliments  of  the  day. 

" I  suppose  this  must  be  the  Sandusky  river?" 

"  You  are  not  acquainted  with  this  place  ?" 


THE  MISSION  CHURCH  AND  ITS  LOCATION.  143 

He  said  this  was  the  first  time  he  had  visited 
the  mission,  "  I  learn,  since  I  arrived,  that  Mr. 
Thompson,  the  missionary,  is  not  at  home.  The 
young  man  that  is  here  with  him  has  gone  over  to  the 
other  house." 

"  I  presume,  Bishop,  I  am  the  person  to  whom  you 
refer." 

"  Are  you  the  young  man  I  saw  at  the  gate  with 
the  ox  team  ?" 

"  I  am  the  person  you  conversed  with  there." 

"Are  you  one  of  the  missionaries  at  this  place?" 

"  That  is  what  the  Indians  called  me :  the  petit 
missionary — the  small  man,  but  not  the  small 
preacher." 

"  Well,  I  am  surprised  ;  you  do  not  appear  like  the 
same  person." 

u  I  presume  not,  Bishop ;  dress  has  much  to  do  with 
personal  appearance,  and  I  hope  you  are  now  satis- 
fied I  am  not  an  Indian,  or  a  Wyandotte."  The 
Bishop  smiled. 

"  If  this  is  missionary  life  I  propose  to  remain  with 
you  awhile,  until  I  become  better  acquainted  with 
your  work.  I  did  not  suppose  the  missionaries  had 
to  do  manual  labor  as  well  as  superintend  the  mis- 
sion.    They  should  not  be  required  to  do  this." 

"  The  missionary  appropriation  at  this  station  is 
very  small,  and  the  expenses  are  great,  and  if  all  did 
not  work,  the  mission  could  not  be  sustained." 


144         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

"  I  admire  your  devotion  and  interest  in  the  work, 
and  hope  it  will  not  be  long  before  you  will  be  better 
provided  for." 

The  Bishop  remained  with  us  two  weeks,  preach- 
ing and  visiting  the  membership,  and  made  many 
warm  personal  friends  ;  and  left  for  the  seat  of  his 
Conference  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State,  with  a 
much  better  opinion  of  the  young  missionary  than 
when  he  first  met  him  at  the  gate  with  John  G-rayeye's 
Indian  costume.  And  I  must  say,  Rev.  John  Emory, 
D.D.,  with  his  sweet  disposition,  companionable  spirit, 
and  superior  ministerial  ability,  was  a  favorite  Bishop 
with  me.  He  came  all  the  way  from  Baltimore, 
Maryland,  on  horseback,  and  had  a  perfect  under- 
standing of  what  was  meant  by  the  early  itineracy. 
Such  was  the  Episcopacy  in  1831.  Though  dead  be 
yet  speaketh,  and  peace  be  to  his  honored  memory. 

I  muse  on  his  kindness  shown, 
And  wish  I'd  love  him  more. 

FIRST    CONVERT     AMONG   THE    INDIANS. 

The  first  convert  at  Upper  Sandusky,  under  the 
efficient  labors  of  Mr.  Stewart,  was  Sum-mun  de- 
wat,  who  afterwards  became  an  eminent  native  local 
preacher,  and  a  very  useful  ordained  minister  in  his 
nation.  He  was  a  consistent  Christian,  and  was 
highly  respected  by  the  white  inhabitants,  as  well  as 
by  the  Indians.     A_yery  interesting  circumstance  as 


FIRST    CONVERT    AMONG    THE    INDIANS.  145 

to  his  kindness  and  Christian  character  is  perhaps 
worthy  of  a  place  in  this  sketch.  This  excellent 
brother,  returning  home  to  his  camp  from  one  of  his 
hunting  expeditions,  met  the  young  itinerant  minis- 
ter, who  inquired  if  he  could  talk  any  English,  and 
asked  direction  for  his  way.  I  give  the  rest  of  the 
story  in  Sum-mun-de-wat's  own  broken  English:  il  He 
then  asked  me  how  far  it  was  to  a  house.  I  said,  'I 
don't  know ;  may  be  ten  miles,  may  be  eight  miles.' " 
"Is  there  a  path  leading  to  that  house  ?"  "  No  ;  by 
and  by  that  path  go  out,  then  all  woods."  I  said, 
"  You  go  home  with  me,  sleep  me,  get  some  to  eat, 
and  I  go  show  you  to-morrow."  Then  he  come  to 
my  camp,  so  I  take  his  horse,  give  him  some  corn 
and  brush,  then  my  wife  gave  him  some  supper. 
He  ask  me,  "Where  I  come?"  I  say,  "Sandusky." 
He  say,  "  You  know  Thompson?"  I  say,  "  Yes,  much ; 
he  is  my  brother."  Then  he  say,  "  He  is  my  brother, 
too."  Then  I  feel  something  in  my  breast.  I  say, 
"  You  preacher?"  He  say,  "  Yes."  Then  I  shake 
hands  and  say,  "  You  my  brother."  Then  me  try  to 
talk  with  him  much.  I  say,  "  You  sing  and  pray 
with  us."  Then  he  say,  "You  sing  and  pray  for  me 
so  much  more."  Then  I  cry  and  no  pray  much  very 
good,  and  I  now  go  no  much  to  sleep,  my  heart  so 
full  of  love  for  some  preacher  stop  with  me  and 
sleep  in  my  tent,  it  be  so  good  for  me.  Next  morn- 
ing soon  came,  and  he  want  to  go  his  journey.  Then 
10 


146        CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

I  go  with  him,  show  him  through  the  woods  till  we 
come  to  the  big  road.  Then  he  take  me  by  the  hand 
and  say,  "  Farewell,  brother,  by  and  by  we  meet  up 
in  Heaven."  Then  me  cry  much  and  say,  "  You  pray 
for  me  and  my  wife,  it  be  so  good."  So  I  now  go 
hunting  all  day ;  I  see  no  deer.  Then  I  go  and  pray 
by  some  log,  my  heart  so  full  of  joy  I  cannot  hunt 
much.  Some  times  1  sing,  then  jump  up  and  spat 
my  hands,  and  look  up  to  my  Heavenly  Father. 
Then  the  love  come  so  in  my  heart  I  can  no  hardly 
stand  still.  So  I  went  home  and  said  to  my  wife : 
"  This  be  my  happiest  day  of  all  my  life.  The  Lord 
so  good  sent  me  preacher  to  sleep  in  my  tent  and 
pray  for  me.  We  must  be  so  good  and  meet  him  in 
Heaven.  The  Lord  is  good  to  us  poor  Indians.  We 
no  more  fight  and  kill  white  man,  and  white  man  no 
more  hurt  and  kill  poor  Indian.  It  be  so  good  for 
all." 

Such  was  the  testimon}7  and  religious  experience 
of  this  good  man,  who  was  afterwards  murdered  in 
Hancock  county,  Ohio,  in  1845,  in  the  forty-sixth 
year  of  his  age.  He  and  his  wife  were  on  a  hunting 
expedition,  and  were  camped  in  the  woods  some 
distance  from  any  white  settlement.  Late  in  the 
evening  three  white  men  appeared  at  his  tent,  and 
asked  the  privilege  of  remaining  with  him  over 
night,  and  with  his  usual  hospitality  they  were 
kindly  received  and  provided  for.     Having  attended 


FIRST    CONVERT    AMONG    THE    INDIANS.  147 

to  their  devotions,  their  family  prayers,  they  all 
retired  for  the  night,  confiding  in  their  usual  safety. 
About  midnight,  while  this  kind  family  were  sound 
asleep,  these  three  inhuman  wretches  arose  and 
murdered  this  Christian  family,  knocking  them  in 
the  head  with  their  axes.  They  then  robbed  their 
tent  of  what  money  they  had  and  a  large  amount 
of  furs,  and  threw  the  dead  bodies  into  a  hole  made 
by  a  tree  turning  up,  covered  them  up  with  leaves 
and  brush,  and  departed.  Their  remains  would  not 
have  been  found  perhaps  for  some  length  of  time 
had  it  not  been  for  their  little  dog  still  remaining 
by  the  side  of  their  dead  bodies. 

Soon  after,  these  inhuman  beings  were  arrested 
and  committed  to  jail,  but  were  afterwards  permitted 
to  escape  and  were  never  brought  to  justice.  Had 
three  Indians  under  like  circumstances  murdered  a 
white  family,  and  especially  a  minister  of  the  gospel, 
the  whole  country  would  have  been  aroused  and  the 
last  Indian  would  have  been  compelled  to  suffer  the 
penalty  of  his  crime.  But  this  was  nothing  more 
than  an  Indian  family. 

But  Divine  justice  in  due  time  will  be  executed. 
"  Yengence  is  mine,  saith  the  Lord,  and  I  will  repay." 
This  excellent  brother  and  his  wife  were  reinterred, 
and  now  sleep  in  the  Indian  graveyard  at  Upper 
Sandusky.  In  the  same  graveyard  many  others  of 
precious  memory  are  buried,  and  we  may  say  the 


148         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

principal  part  of  the  older  members  of  the  mission. 
Of  this  number  was  especially  Rev.  Harry-hoot,  the 
most  eloquent  native  minister  there  was  at  the 
mission.  Such  was  my  attachment  for  this  brother, 
I  supplied  him  for  several  years  with  all  of  his 
wearing  apparel  until  the  da}^  of  his  death,  and  soon 
after  had  a  monument  erected  to  his  memory. 

The  Wyandottes  ceded  their  reservation  at  Upper 
Sandusky  to  the  United  States  in  1842,  and  left  for 
their  new  home  in  the  far  West  in  July,  1843. 
When  I  first  became  acquainted  with  them  they 
numbered  about  five  thousand  ;  but  when  they  left 
Ohio  there  were  but  seven  hundred  ;  and  they  are 
now  reduced  to  a  mere  handful.  The  last  account 
I  received  from  Hon.  William  Walker,  their  agent, 
he  stated  there  were  then  some  less  than  one  hun- 
dred. 

The  Wyandottes  were  the  bravest  Indians  that 
ever  inhabited  Ohio,  and  many  among  them  were  of 
a  high  moral  character.  May  a  kind  God  pity  these 
sons  of  the  forest,  and  at  last  give  them  a  happy 
home  and  their  long  sought  for  hunting  ground, 
where  the  "wicked  will  cease  to  trouble  and  the 
weary  are  forever  at  rest." 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

WYANDOTTE    AND    FORT   FINDLAY    MISSION. 

1  was  assigned  to  this  charge  in  company  with 
Rev.  Thomas  Thompson.  The  policy  of  the  Church 
at  that  day  was  to  hunt  up  all  the  white  settlements 
and  carry  the  Gospel  to  all  classes  of  human  beings 
who  were  destitute  of  the  means  of  grace.  Immigra- 
tion into  Northwestern  Ohio  had  commenced,  and 
the  Maumee  Valley  was  fast  filling  up,  and  hence 
our  missionary  work  was  not  confined  exclusively 
to  the  Indian  mission,  but  extended  over  a  large 
territory,  including  about  one-half  of  what  is  now 
in  the  Central  Ohio  Conference ;  and  also  extended 
into  Canada  and  the  Michigan  territory.  These  two 
Indian  stations  had  to  be  visited  every  four  weeks 
during  the  Conference  year.  The  missionary  spent 
about  two  weeks  at  the  Wyandotte  mission  in  Upper 
Canada,  and  about  the  same  length  of  time  at  the 
Upper  Sandusky  mission,  as  it  was  first  called  in 
Church  history,  upon  the  Huron  river,  near  what  is 
now  called  Flat  Rock,  in  Michigan.  This  required 
the  travel  on  horseback  of  about  five  hundred 
miles,  all  of  which  had  to  be  accomplished  in  from 
four  to  six  weeks,  so  as  to  reach  the  mission  at 
(149) 


150         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

Upper  Sandusky  in  Ohio  by  Saturday  night.  Here 
one  of  the  missionaries  had  to  be  on  hand  all  the 
time,  to  attend  to  the  mission  and  farm,  as  there 
were  from  sixty  to  eighty  Indian  children  at  school, 
all  of  whom  had  to  be  provided  for,  clothed  and  fed, 
and  the  religious  services  kept  up  at  the  Church 
on  Sabbath. 

The  country  being  new,  and  but  partially  inhabit- 
ed, we  were  subjected  to  many  inconveniences  and 
hardships,  traveled  without  any  well  defined  roads, 
often  through  the  wilderness,  marking  the  route 
from  one  settlement  to  another  by  splitting  the  tops 
of  small  trees  and  turning  the  top  to  the  right  hand 
as  a  sufficient  guide  on  the  returning  route.  Yet  even 
then,  with  all  of  this  precaution,  we  would  some- 
times miss  the  trail  and  were  compelled  to  remain 
in  the  forest  over  night.  This  we  would  spend  in  a 
tree  top  to  avoid  the  wolves,  which  at  that  day  were 
very  numerous ;  or  sometimes  build  a  large  fire 
and  camp  out,  as  we  always  carried  with  us  a  flint 
steel  and  tinder  box. 

MY    USUAL    MODE    OF    CROSSING    RIVERS. 

During  the  spring  and  fall  such  rivers  as  the  San- 
dusky, Tyemochte,  Blanchard,  Portage,  Auglaize, 
and  Maumee  were  often  too  full  to  ford.  I  would 
then  take  off  all  my  clothes  and  tie  them  up,  with 
my  saddle  bags,  on  the  pummel  of  my  saddle  to  keep 


MY  USUAL  MODE  OF  CROSSING  RIVERS.  151 

them  dry.  My  horse  was  used  to  swimming,  and 
would  seldom  sink  below  his  fore  shoulders.  Turn- 
ing him  into  the  stream,  I  would  take  hold  of  his 
tail,  and  when  I  could  no  longer  touch  bottom  with 
my  feet  I  would  float  upon  the  surface  until  we 
reached  the  opposite  shore.  When  I  found  myself 
safe,  or  at  least  could  touch  bottom,  if  the  bank  was 
steep,  I  would  hunt  a  suitable  place  for  my  horse  to 
land.  Then  putting  on  my  clothes,  I  would  start  on 
my  journey.  Sometimes  this  would  have  to  be  re- 
peated two  or  three  times  a  day  before  reaching  the 
place  for  the  night  appointment.  There  was  no  ex- 
cuse or  apology  for  a  disappointment,  as  there  were 
but  few  to  attend,  and  perhaps  some  of  these  would 
come  quite  a  distance,  and  if  once  disappointed  they 
would  be  missing  the  next  time.  The  highest  com- 
mendation of  a  young  minister  at  that  day  was  for 
his  Presiding  Elder  to  say  in  Conference,  "  He  is  al- 
ways punctual,  and  never  disappoints  his  congrega- 
tion." And  I  must  say,  withal  we  were  amply  re- 
paid for  our  perseverance  by  the  kind  reception  and 
hospitality  which  we  received.  And  yet,  where  is 
the  young  man  at  this  day  who  would  be  disposed 
to  make  the  sacrifice  and  endure  all  the  hardships  of 
a  new  country  ?  Perhaps  in  the  very  coldest  weather 
in  the  winter  one  would  be  compelled  to  ascend 
a  ladder  to  the  upper  story  of  a  log  house,  to 
sleep  upon   a   straw  bed,  with  no  other  covering 


152         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

to  protect  him  from  a  snow  storm  raging  without 
than  his  overcoat,  Indian  blanket,  and  a  few  other 
tattered  garments,  and  in  the  morning  find  himself 
in  a  snow  drift  which  during  the  night  had  forced 
its  way  through  the  clap-board  roof  or  broken  win- 
dows and  accumulated  on  his  bed.  All  this  was 
cheerfully  borne  on  a  salary  of  one  hundred  dollars, 
which  covered  everything,  clothes,  books  and  trav- 
eling expenses.  And  sometimes  the  most  of  the 
salary  was  paid  in  good  will,  or  such  things  as  could 
be  obtained  from  the  forest — red-root,  blood-root, 
crow-foot,  crane's  bill,  star-root,  yellow-root,  prickly 
ash  buds,  and  dried  slippery  elm  bark,  all  of  which 
were  the  next  thing  to  money,  and  could  be  disposed 
of  at  any  large  drug  store,  as  they  were  in  general 
use  by  all  steam  doctors,  or  Thompsonian  physicians. 

AN    ECCENTRIC    LANDLORD. 

On  the  Scioto  river,  near  where  the  Pisgah  Church 
now  stands,  was  a  log  tavern  kept  by  a  friend,  not  a 
member  of  the  Church.  This  was  one  of  our 
preaching  places  where  we  remained  over  night 
with  the  landlord ;  and  in  the  morning  when  we 
called  for  our  bill  he  said  he  would  prefer  settling 
with  us  at  the  close  of  the  year.  This  being  the 
best  we  could  do,  we  had  to  trust  to  his  liberality  in 
the  final  settlement,  though  with  our  limited  means 
we  could  have  wished  it  otherwise.     However,  as  he 


AN  ECCENTRIC  LANDLORD.  153 

was  a  friend  to  the  cause  of  Christianity,  we  hoped 
for  the  best.  At  the  close  of  the  year  we  called  for 
a  final  settlement.  He  said,  as  there  was  some  credits 
in  our  favor,  he  would  have  to  look  over  our  account. 
This  was  a  mistake,  as  we  had  not  paid  him  anything 
during  the  year,  but  he  insisted  that  he  had  kept  a 
correct  account,  and  knew  more  about  it  than  we 
did.  His  account  against  us  was  quite  reason- 
able, and  somewhat  better  than  we  had  expected; 
and  now  the  next  thing  was  to  see  for  what  we 
could  have  credit.  Turning  over  the  next  page, 
he  showed  that  he  had  credited  us  with  every  sermon 
preached,  with  every  instance  of  worship,  and  with 
every  blessing  asked  at  the  table.  For  a  long  sermon 
the  credit  was  twenty-five  cents ;  for  a  short  sermon, 
fifty  cents ;  long  family  service,  twelve  and  one-half 
cents;  short  prayer  and  chapter,  twenty-five  cents, 
and  the  same  in  proportion  for  grace  at  the  table. 
Being  young  and  often  embarrassed,  all  my  services 
had  received  his  approbation,  and  he  now  fell  in  my 
debt.  My  colleague  being  older  and  more  prolific, 
fell  in  his  debt.  However,  considering  the  benefit 
the  community  had  received,  as  well  as  his  family, 
and  allowing  something  for  good  company,  he  would 
balance  the  account  and  call  it  all  settled,  provided 
we  would  call  on  him  another  year,  if  we  were  re- 
turned to  the  same  charge ;  he  then  presented  each 
of  us  with  five  dollars. 


154:         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

Mr.  Wheeler  remained  in  this  neighborhood  until 
he  had  accumulated  a  handsome  property,  and  at 
last  settled  in  Kenton,  Hardin  county,  Ohio,  where 
he  lived  and  died  loved  and  respected  by  all  who 
knew  him.     Peace  be  to  his  honored  memory. 

FORT    m' ARTHUR. 

Fort  McArthur  was  built  during  the  war  of  1812, 
on  the  line  of  Hull's  march,  and  was  located  in  a 
dense  forest  not  far  from  the  Scioto  river,  and  near 
the  present  city  of  Kenton,  Hardin  county.  This 
was  rather  a  weak  stockade,  enclosing  about  half  an 
acre,  with  two  block  houses,  one  in  the  northeast  and 
the  other  in  the  southwest  corner.  Seventy  or  eighty 
feet  of  this  enclosure  was  composed  of  a  row  of  log 
corn  cribs,  covered  with  a  shed  roof  sloping  inside. 
A  part  of  the  pickets  were  of  split  timber  and  lapped 
at  the  edges  ;  others  were  round  logs  set  up  endwise 
and  touching  each  other.  The  row  of  huts  for  the 
garrison  were  a  few  feet  from  the  walls.  It  was  a 
post  of  much  danger,  and  liable  at  any  moment  to 
be  attacked.  There  was  but  little  communication 
with  other  settlements,  and  no  person  could  go  from 
one  neighborhood  to  another  without  danger,  as  the 
woods  were  infested  with  hostile  Indians.  The  first 
commander  of  this  post  was  Colonel  John  Hardin, 
after  whom  the  county  was  named  in  1 820. 

I  will  here  make  mention  of  an  excellent  Metho- 


FOKT  M' ARTHUR.  155 

dist  family  named  McCloud,  who  were  residing  at 
the  fort  in  1831.  This  brother  and  his  family 
had  emigrated  from  the  southern  part  of  the 
State  and  settled  on  a  tract  of  land  which  included 
this  fortress,  obtained  at  government  price,  and  paid 
for  with  the  money  they  received  for  wolf  scalps. 
So  numerous  and  destructive  were  these  animals  at 
that  early  day  that  a  reward  of  from  $1  to  $8  was 
paid  for  the  scalp  of  a  wolf.  And  in  no  section  of 
the  country  in  Ohio  were  they  more  numerous  than 
in  and  around  the  Hog  Creek  marsh  and  the  low- 
lands of  Northwestern  Ohio.  The  art  of  destroying 
these  wild  animals  with  strychnine  had  not  been 
brought  into  use,  and  they  had  to  be  captured  either 
by  hunting  or  trapping. 

We  had  commenced  preaching  at  Mr.  McCloud's 
in  the  early  part  of  the  conference  year,  and  I  had 
formed  a  class  of  some  six  members.  There  were  but 
three  families  in  the  neighborhood,  and  the  member- 
ship consisted  of  the  McClouds  and  a  family  by  the 
name  of  Bates.  This  was  our  third  appointment  on 
the  white  part  of  the  mission,  and  to  reach  it  required 
about  twenty  miles  ride  through  the  wilderness. 

Starting  out  from  Upper  Sandusky  on  a  dark  and 
rainy  day,  1  failed  in  taking  the  right  trail.  Reach- 
ing the  Scioto  river,  I  followed  up  the  stream.  The 
sun  [had  gone  down,  night  was  fast  approaching, 
and  knowing  the  woods  to  be  full  of  wild  animals,  I 


156         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

now  made  for  the  bill  or  high  land  on  the  east  side 
of  the  river,  and  prepared  for  the  night.  Having  se- 
lected a  suitable  location,  I  fastened  ray  horse  to  the 
limb  of  a  small  beech  tree  and  climbed  into  the  top, 
taking  my  horse  blanket  with  me  to  cover  my  head, 
as  it  was  still  raining.  I  made  myself  fast  among 
the  branches,  weaving  the  limbs  around  me,  that  I 
might  not  fall  if  I  should  go  to  sleep,  being  wet,  cold 
and  hungry.  However,  I  soon  found  there  were  no 
fears  of  my  going  to  sleep.  My  horse  became  uneasy, 
and  my  attention  was  occupied  to  keep  him  quiet,  or 
I  might  be  minus  of  any  conveyance  in  the  morning. 
About  midnight  we  were  surrounded  by  a  gang  of 
wolves  apparently  without  number,  howling  at  a 
fearful  rate.  ^Notwithstanding  all  my  efforts  to  calm 
my  horse's  excitement,  he  was  constantly  pawing, 
not  in  the  least  admiring  his  new  acquaintances  or 
their  near  approach  ;  and  when  silence  with  him  was 
no  longer  a  virtue  he  would  give  a  fearful  snort, 
which  would  produce  a  general  stampede  among 
them.  Yet,  not  disposed  to  surrender  their  rights 
or  abandon  their  hope  of  supplying  their  wants,  they 
would  soon  return  in  full  force,  and  still  nearer,  until 
they  were  again  routed  by  Charley's  musical  notes, 
adapted  to  high  pressure;  and  thus  did  they  continue 
to  advance  and  retreat  until  morning  light. 

Having  landed  from  my  roost,  my  faithful   ani- 
mal appeared  to  appreciate  the  change  and  enjoy 


fort  m'arthur.  157 

the  pleasure  of  leaving  the  field,  and  surrendering 
his  rights  to  all  such  midnight  serenading.  Starting 
once  more  on  my  river  route,  I  had  not  gone  far 
before  I  heard  the  report  of  a  gun  and  the  blowing 
of  a  horn.  My  friends  readily  inferred  that  as  I  had 
not  reached  my  appointment  at  night,  I  must  be  in 
the  woods,  and  this  was  their  signal  to  bring  me  out. 
And  now  I  soon  arrived  at  the  fort  and  found  com- 
fortable quarters  for  myself  and  horse. 

The  hill  on  which  I  had  remained  over  night  was 
about  a  mile  or  so  from  the  fort,  and  is  now  occupied 
by  the  city  of  Kenton,  Hardin  county,  Ohio.  It  has 
been  reported  that  Mrs.  McCloud,  being  the  first 
emigrant  then  living  and  having  resided  the  longest 
in  the  county,  had  the  honor  conferred  upon  her  of 
naming  this  town,  aud  she  called  it  Kenton  after 
Simon  Kenton,  the  noted  spy  and  Indian  warrior, 
who  contributed  so  largely  to  the  defense  of  the 
American  cause,  and,  like  myself,  had  often  enjoyed 
the  kindness  and  hospitality  of  Mr.  McCloud  and  his 
excellent  lady.  Like  many  others  of  pioneer  fame, 
Brother  McCloud  and  his  family  have  principally 
passed  away,  the  wife  of  Dr.  Lord  being  among  the 
last.  And  here  I  may  say  that  Dr.  Lord  was  one  of 
the  early  settlers  in  this  county,  where  he  accumu- 
lated a  handsome  property  by  his  profession  ;  and 
now  makes  his  home  with  his  eldest  daughter,  the 
wife  of  Mr.  L.  Moore,  my  nephew,  who  are  living 


158         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

on  a  farm  near  Belief  on  taine,  Logan  county,  Ohio. 
I  had  the  pleasure  of  spending  a  short  time  with  the 
doctor  a  few  years  ago,  and  of  talking  over  the  early 
scenes  of  the  northwest.  Physicians,  like  ministers, 
at  that  day  were  not  so  numerous  as  at  present ;  and 
a  wonderful  change  has  taken  place  during  the 
last  half  century.  In  those  olden  days,  when  the  doc- 
tor and  the  writer  met  in  the  woods,  I  on  my  way  to 
some  appointment  and  the  doctor  on  his  route  to  visit 
some  patient,  he  remarked  that  his  circuit  was  nearly 
as  large  as  mine,  extending  over  a  part  of  three  or 
four  counties,  and  sometimes  required  him  to  travel 
from  ten  to  twenty  miles  to  reach  his  patient.  The 
wilderness  through  which  we  then  had  to  pass  is 
now  converted  into  fruitful  fields,  and  growing  vil- 
lages, and  commercial  cities ;  and  when  we  speak  of 
the  past  with  the  hardships  and  inconveniences  of 
that  early  day,  it  is  hard  for  young  America  to  fully 
comprehend  these  things,  and  they  imagine  that 
such  statements  must  be  somewhat  exaggerated  or 
imaginary.  Our  only  reply  is  that  God,  through 
human  instrumentality,  moves  in  a  mysterious  way 
His  wonders  to  perform. 

FIRST    VISIT   TO   THE     INDIAN    MISSION     IN    MICHIGAN 
TERRITORY. 

Starting  on  Monday  morning  from  Upper  Sandus- 
ky, with  seven  Indians  as  my  traveling  companions,. 


MICHIGAN  INDIAN  MISSION.  159 

three  of  whom  were  local  ministers,  I  found  on 
reaching  the  Maumee  river,  that  it  was  more  diffi- 
cult and  dangerous  to  cross  than  I  had  expected. 
However,  we  concluded  to  ford  the  river  at  the 
Rapids.  We  had  not  proceeded  far  before  all  had 
turned  back  excepting  Harry-hoot  and  myself. 
With  care  we  were  in  hopes  of  making  the  opposite 
shore  in  safety,  and  all  went  well  until  we  had 
reached  about  the  middle  of  the  stream,  when 
Harry-hoot's  Indian  pony,  being  frightened  at  some 
white  foam  passing  by,  suddenly  reared  up  and  threw 
him  off  into  the  swift  current.  Although,  like  most 
Indians,  he  was  a  good  swimmer,  but  he  soon  be- 
came entangled  in  his  long-fringed  Indian  frock  coat 
and  commenced  sinking.  I  called  to  some  men  who 
were  fishing  with  a  canoe,  to  save  him  and  I  would 
compensate  them.  They  were  soon  by  his  side  and 
caught  him  by  his  flowing  coat,  as  he  was  about  to 
sink  for  the  last  time.  Having  turned  back  I  was 
now  waiting  for  the  final  result,  when  they  brought 
him  to  shore.  There  was  at  first  but  little  hopes  of 
his  being  restored ;  I  requested  the  Indians  to  set  him 
upon  a  log  and  by  blowing  gently  in  his  mouth,  he 
soon  gave  evidence  of  life.  We  then  prepared  a  litter 
out  of  one  of  the  blankets  and  conveyed  him  down  to 
Hubbell's  landing,  and  all  crossed  over  in  a  canoe, 
leaving  our  horses  to  be  conveyed  over  the  next  day. 
We  were  all  kindly  provided  for  by  Mr.  Hubbell,  the 


160         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

landlord.  Brother  Harry-hoot  suffered  some  during 
the  night,  but  by  the  aid  of  stimulants  and  a  thorough 
sweating  with  pennyroyal  tea,  the  second  day  he  was 
enabled  to  accompany  us  on  our  journey.  We  re- 
mained at  the  Indian  mission  one  week,  preaching 
and  visiting  the  membership.  The  Sabbath  before  we 
left  we  held  a  sacramental  service,  which  was  both 
interesting  and  profitable. 

On  Monday  morning  we  started  for  the  mission  in 
Canada,  crossing  the  Detroit  river  from  Brownstown 
to  Maiden  in  a  lumber  boat.  On  Sabbath  our  excel- 
lent brother  Harry-hoot  related  the  circumstance  of 
his  being  spared  and  having  the  privilege  of  preach- 
ing to  them  once  more,  producing  a  wonderful 
effect.  The  indications  being  favorable,  we  contin- 
ued the  meeting  two  weeks,  which  resulted  in  the 
conversion  of  several  prominent  Indians  and  some 
twenty -three  accessions  to  the  Church.  Among  this 
number  was  a  white  family  living  on  the  Indian 
Reservation,  by  the  name  of  Spring,  who  afterwards 
moved  and  settled  at  Delta,  Fulton  county,  Ohio, 
and  were  well  known  by  the  inhabitants  of  that  place. 
Mr.  Spring  died  a  few  years  since,  and  was  buried  in 
the  old  cemetery  at  Delta.  His  funeral  sermon  was 
preached  by  myself. 

LAST    VISIT   TO   THE    INDIAN    MISSION    IN    CANADA. 

Having  provided  for  our  journey,  and  taken  seven 


LAST  VISIT  TO  MISSION  IN  CANADA.  161 

Indians  with  me  as  ray  traveling  companions,  we 
started  about  the  middle  of  July,  in  1832.  In  view 
of  our  former  experience  in  the  long  route  by  the 
way  of  the  Black  Swamp,  Michigan,  and  around  by 
Detroit,  we  concluded  after  reaching  Tiffin,  Seneca 
county,  Ohio,  to  change  our  programme  and  take 
the  Indian  route  across  Lake  Erie  by  way  of  the 
Islands.  Our  course  now  led  us  to  Locust  Point  on 
the  Bay,  in  Ottawa  county,  Ohio,  where  we  camped 
for  the  night.  The  next  day  we  stored  our  saddles 
in  a  place  of  safety,  and  as  we  did  not  expect  to  be 
absent  more  than  one  or  two  weeks,  we  spancelled 
our  horses,  tied  their  fore  legs  together  with  a  short 
strap  to  prevent  them  from  wandering  far  away,  and 
turned  them  out  on  the  marsh  to  graze  until  we 
should  return.  We  then  got  out  our  canoe,  which 
had  been  hid  among  the  willows,  had  it  well  cleansed 
and  dried  and  put  in  good  running  order.  The  next 
morning  the  sun  shone  forth  bright  and  clear,  the 
lake  was  smooth,  not  a  wave  to  be  seen,  and  every- 
thing indicated  a  fair  and  favorable  day.  We  now 
launched  our  bark  canoe,  intending  to  take  the 
Indian  route  among  the  islands,  with  the  hope  of 
reaching  North  Bass  by  night.  When  we  came  in 
sight  of  the  islands,  perhaps  not  more  than  five  miles 
distant,  a  dark  and  fearful  cloud  commenced  gather- 
ing over  our  heads,  and  the  wind  blew  a  perfect  gale 
from  the  northwest.  Soon  the  bosom  of  the  lake 
11 


162         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

was  all  in  commotion,  and  the  waves  dashed  against 
our  frail  craft,  throwing  more  or  less  water  into  our 
canoe,  threatening  us  with  speedy  death  and  a  watery 
grave.  The  rain,  too,  was  now  pouring  down  in 
torrents,  until  we  and  all  we  had  on  board  were 
thoroughly  wet  through.  We  were  destitute  of 
anything  to  bail  with  save  a  small  tin  bucket,  and  I 
soon  used  up  my  white  beaver  and  others  their  hats ; 
and  there  appeared  to  be  but  little  hopes  of  our 
reaching  the  island.  The  heavens  above  us  were  still 
in  commotion ;  peals  of  thunder  came  in  quick  suc- 
cession, the  vivid  lightning  rendered  the  scene  still 
more  fearful,  the  waves  became  much  larger,  and  the 
troughs  of  the  sea  much  deeper ;  and  all  on  board 
were  about  used  up  working  for  dear  life. 

Not  knowing  but  that  the  next  wave  would  sink 
our  craft,  I  now  proposed  prayer  as  a  safer  passage 
to  a  better  world.  My  abiding  friend  whom  I  had 
saved  from  a  watery  grave,  and  whose  watchful  care 
at  the  stern  still  guided  our  craft,  said :  "  Brother 
Gabbey,  you  pray  and  all  paddle,  and  our  Father  in 
Heaven,  he  save  us."  However  Brother  Sum-mun- 
de-wat  said,  "  We  all  pray  now  much  with  brother 
Gavitt,"  and  every  oar  ceased  to  ply,  and  a  united 
prayer  went  up  to  God,  mingled  with  faith  and 
tears ;  and,  sure  enough,  it  was  not  long  before  the 
rain  had  ceased,  the  wind  had  calmed,  the  dark  and 
fearful  cloud   had   disappeared,   and   the   sun  once 


LAST  VISIT  TO  MISSION  IN  CANADA.  163 

more  broke  out  with  its  soft  and  gentle  rays  to  cheer 
and  inspire  our  hopes.  With  renewed  strength  and 
courage,  nobly  did  these  sons  of  the  forest  contend 
with  the  waves  for  the  island  shore,  and  within 
about  one  hour  more  a  shout  of  joy  from  every  lip 
was  heard  above  the  roaring  waves,  "  Safe,  safe !  yes, 
thank  the  Lord,  we  shall  be  saved ;  soon  we  shall  be 
on  the  beach,  and  all  can  then  wade  to  shore,  let 
come  what  may."  But  in  this  we  were  somewhat 
disappointed.  The  nearer  we  approached  the  place 
of  landing  the  more  violently  the  returning  waves 
from  shore  would  sweep  over  our  craft,  the  spray 
blinding  our  eyes,  and  it  was  about  all  we  could  do 
to  keep  the  canoe  from  dipping  and  sinking.  But 
with  renewed  energy  we  landed  at  last  on  the  south 
side  of  North  Bass  Island,  and  securing  our  frail 
treasure,  which  no  human  being  could  manage  like 
an  Indian,  we  now  all  joined  in  singing  the 
Doxology,  "  Praise  God  from  whom  all  blessings 
flow,"  and  then  offered  up  our  thanksgiving  to  that 
God  who  had  watched  over  our  lives  amidst  the 
wind  and  waves. 

And  now  the  next  thing  was  to  kindle  a  fire  so  as 
to  dry  our  clothes.  The  labor  of  the  day  had  not 
diminished  our  wants,  but  had  increased  our  appe- 
tites ;  but  how  to  supply  them  was  the  next  question, 
as  we  had  cast  all  our  provisions  and  cooking  utensils 
overboard   to  make   room    and   lighten  our   craft. 


164         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

These  islands,  which  are  now  the  cities  of  Lake 
Erie,  and  a  summer  resort  for  all  the  world,  were 
that  day  uninhabited,  save  that  occasionally  an 
Indian  or  a  Frenchman  might  be  found  in  his  tem- 
porary camp  or  wigwam.  But  upon  this  Island  not 
a  human  being  could  we  find.  We  were  the  mon- 
archs  of  all  we  surveyed.  On  examination,  I  found 
a  pound  or  so  of  parched  corn  and  a  small  cake  of 
maple  sugar  in  my  saddle  bags,  which  I  proposed  to 
divide  with  my  brethren;  but  this  they  kindly  re- 
fused, saying  they  would  hunt  for  roots  or  something 
else  to  supply  their  wants.  It  was  not  long  before 
they  returned  with  an  abundant  supply  of  turtle 
-eggs,  which  they  had  found  in  the  warm  sand  along 
the  beach,  and  commenced  roasting  and  eating  them, 
and  were  quite  well  satisfied  with  their  new  discov- 
ery. My  appetite  had  not  as  yet  got  quite  up  to  the 
point  to  eat  young  roasted  turtles,  as  many  of  these 
eggs  were  about  ready  to  hatch ;  but  before  we  left 
the  island  I  could  manage  turtle  or  snake's  eggs,  it 
mattered  not  which,  quite  as  well  as  the  Indians  them- 
selves without  any  misgivings  whatever. 

About  midnight  we  were  favored  with  another 
pelting  storm.  To  protect  ourselves  we  turned  our 
canoe  bottom  side  up,  one  end  on  a  log  and  the 
end  fastened  up  with  rocks ;  and  under  this  we  made 
the  best  of  the  night  we  could  without  infringing 
<upon  each   other's  rights,  excepting   a  very   tight 


LAST  VISIT  TO  MISSION  IN  CANADA.  165 

squeeze.  The  storm  still  continuing,  and  the  lake 
remaining  rough,  we  were  confined  to  our  island 
home  two  days  and  three  nights  before  we  dared  to 
launch  our  craft  for  Point  Play,  this  being  the  next 
island,  and  belonging  to  the  Canadian  shore.  Here 
we  found  a  Frenchman  in  a  small  log  hut,  with  a 
Chippewa  squaw  for  his  wife.  With  some  difficulty 
we  made  our  wants  known,  and  obtained  from  them 
a  small  quantity  of  corn  bread  and  fish  at  an  extrav- 
agant price.  Nor  did  we  receive  anything  like  a 
palatable  meal  from  the  time  we  had  left  our  horses 
at  Locust  Point  in  Ohio  until  we  had  reached  Mr. 
George  Clark's  house  at  the  Indian  mission  in  Can- 
ada. Here  we  were  kindly  received  and  abundantly 
provided  for. 

Mr.  Clark  was  a  noble  Christian  man,  and  his  wife 
an  educated  Wyandotte,  with  a  refined  and  intelli- 
gent family.  His  son  George  was  a  merchant  at 
Upper  Sandusky,  Ohio,  and  Alexander  a  Methodist 
local  preacher  and  interpreter,  employed  at  the  Mis- 
sion, and  secretary  for  his  father,  who  was  one  of 
the  interpreters  in  the  service  of  the  British  govern- 
ment at  Maiden.  Our  visit  to  this  Indian  Mission 
was  somewhat  inopportune,  as  this  was  the  year  and 
the  time  for  the  general  gathering  of  all  the  Indian 
nations  in  North  America  to  receive  their  annuity 
for  their  services  to  the  British  government.  This 
great  gathering  at  Maiden  proved  to  be  one  of  the 


166         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

largest  ever  assembled  on  the  North  American  con- 
tinent. In  numbers,  it  was  said  there  were  about 
forty  or  fifty  thousand,  coming  from  all  parts  of  the 
country,  some  of  them  more  than  a  thousand  miles 
distant ;  and  those  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  stated 
they  had  been  more  than  a  year  on  their  journey. 
This  was  the  first  time  I  had  ever  seen  those  who 
were  called  the  Flathead  Indians.  This  peculiarity 
in  the  shape  of  their  skulls  was  not  shown  on  top  of 
their  heads,  but  in  the  flattening  of  their  foreheads. 
Being  pressed  with  a  board  in  early  infancy,  the  cra- 
nium extended  to  a  peak  at  the  top.  Far  more  ap- 
propriately they  should  have  been  called  soft,  instead 
of  flat-headed  Indians,  as  this  distortion  had  more 
or  less  impaired  their  intellect  and  diminished  their 
superiority. 

The  annuity  which  these  Indians  received  from 
the  British  government,  principally  for  their  loyalty 
in  the  war  of  1812,  consisted  in  blankets,  blue  broad- 
cloth for  the  females,  short  dresses,  beads,  broaches, 
copper  kettles,  guns,  ammunition,  whisky  and  to- 
bacco. These  were  divided  out  to  each  family  ac- 
cording to  their  rank,  whether  chiefs  or  subordin- 
ates, and  were  valued  at  from  fifteen  to  one  hundred 
dollars  for  each  family.  The  Indians  Avere  permitted 
to  remain  in  this  tented  field  until  they  had  disposed 
of  about  all  they  had  received,  for  liquor  or  cheap 
provisions,   or   tainted   meat,  such   as  dead  horses, 


LAST  VISIT  TO  MISSION  IN  CANADA.  167 

oxen,  mules,  clogs,  or  anything  to  supply  the  wants 
of  nature.  They  were  too  numerous  to  be  supplied 
in  their  poverty  and  wretched  condition  with  the 
best  the  country  could  afford.  Having  remained 
two  weeks  or  more,  until  the  fur  trader  and  liquor 
sharks  had  got  away  everything  they  had  that  was 
of  any  value,  they  were  now  ordered  to  disband  and 
return  to  their  homes  and  hunting  grounds,  cursed 
and  demoralized  in  every  respect.  But  such  was  the 
pretended  friendship  of  the  British  government  until 
the  morality  and  religious  influence  of  their  country 
inaugurated  a  better  state  of  things. 

This  conference  year  closed  with  a  precious  camp- 
meeting  of  whites  and  a  few  Indians,  upon  what  was 
called  the  Limestone  ftidge,  some  twelve  miles  north- 
west from  Upper  Sandusky,  Ohio,  near  the  residence  of 
Judge  Smith,  a  pious  family,  some  of  whom  are  still 
living  in  or  near  Cary  and  Mount  Blanchard,  Ohio, 
George,  the  oldest  son,  was  recommended  from  this 
meeting  to  the  Ohio  Annual  Conference,  and  for 
many  years  was  an  active  and  useful  minister  in  the 
Ohio  and  Michigan  Conferences,  and  occupied  many 
important  positions  in  the  Church.  But,  like  many 
others  of  the  earl}r  pioneers,  he  has  passed  away  to 
his  reward  in  Heaven. 

This  year  completed  my  third  in  the  Portland 
District,  and  closed  my  pleasant  relation  with  my 
Presiding  Elder,  Kev.  Russel  Bigelow,  with  whom  I 


168         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

had  traveled  hundred  of  miles,  going  and  returning 
from  camp-meetings  and  quarterly  occasions. 

Mr.  Bigelow's  personal  appearance  was  not  pre- 
possessing. He  was  a  man  of  medium  size,  and  quite 
ordinary  dressed,  with  a  round-breasted  coat,  white 
cravat,  and  wide-brimmed  hat.  One  noticeable  pe- 
culiarity was  that  he  always  preached  out  of  one 
corner  of  his  mouth.  Dr.  Clark,  returning  home 
from  one  of  our  quarterly  meetings,  asked  his  little 
son  how  he  liked  Mr.  Bigelow's  sermon.  He  said :  "  I 
do  not  know ;  but  it  made  the  people  cry,  and  I  be- 
lieve, had  he  preached  out  of  both  corners  of  his 
mouth,  they  would  have  all  got  religion."  One  of 
the  peculiarities  of  this  brother  was  his  praying  for 
all  the  ministers  in  the  district  by  name,  and  referring 
to  their  prosperity  or  adversity  as  their  case  or  cir- 
cumstances might  be.  The  only  objectionable  feature 
in  his  ministry  was  the  length  of  his  sermons,  which 
were  from  two  to  three  hours  long.  Notwithstand- 
ing his  ability,  they  would  hardly  pass  at  this  day, 
when  the  universal  desire  is  to  have  the  sermon  cut 
off  at  both  ends,  and  the  minister  to  announce  the 
Doxology  as  soon  as  the  Lord  will  let  him. 

With  a  slender  constitution  and  declining  health, 
Brother  Bigelow's  pulpit  efforts  were  more  than  he 
could  well  endure,  and  at  the  Circleville  Conference, 
in  1834,  he  asked  for  a  superannuated  relation.  He 
died  in  the  city  of  Columbus,  Ohio,  in  1835,  in  the 


KEYS.  JAMES  B.  FINLEY  AND  THOMAS  THOMPSON.     169 

forty-third  year  of  his  age.  It  may  well  be  said  of 
him,  "  The  chamber  where  the  good  man  meets  his 
fate  is  quite  on  the  verge  of  heaven."  And  thus 
ended  the  life  of  one  of  the  best  men  and  one  of  the 
most  impressive  orators  with  whom  I  have  ever  been 
acquainted.  Brother  Bigelow's  sermons  were  not  as 
eloquent  in  many  instances  as  Mr.  Christie's.  The 
sermons  of  the  latter  were  calculated  to  please  ad- 
miring crowds  with  the  beauties  of  nature  and  the 
charms  of  Heaven,  while  Mr.  Bigelow's  appeals  were 
directed  more  to  the  heart,  and  he  seldom  failed  to 
move  his  audience  to  tears  in  view  of  the  solemnity 
of  the  judgment  day,  and  man's  accountability  to 
God.  I  have  seen,  with  my  own  eyes,  not  less  than 
a  thousand  persons  on  their  feet  at  once,  with  out- 
stretched arms  and  uplifted  hands,  crying  aloud  for 
mercy,  while  the  very  heavens  appeared  to  give 
audience  as  he  portrayed  the  judgment  scene;  and 
five  hundred  penitents  kneeling  at  the  altar  at  the 
close  of  the  sermon.  Such  was  the  case  at  the  camp- 
meeting  at  Dough tys  Forks,  in  Holmes  county,  Ohio, 
in  1839,  at  the  close  of  the  conference  year. 

REVS.    JAMES    B.    FINLEY    AND   THOMAS    THOMPSON. 

Why  it  was  that  Mr.  Finley  obtained  a  notoriety 
above  others  as  the  Indian  missionary,  I  am  not  pre- 
pared to  say,  unless  it  was  his  publication  on  Indian 
missions.     This  brother  did  not  commence  the  Wy- 


170         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

andotte  Mission,  or  form  the  first  class,  or  establish 
the  first  church ;  nor  was  he  the  first  missionary 
after  this  charge  was  received  into  the  Ohio  Confer- 
ence. The  first  white  missionary  sent  among  these 
Indians  was  Moses  Hinkle,  Sr.,  and  it  was  four  years 
from  the  time  that  Mr.  Stewart  commenced  this 
mission  before  Mr.  Finley  had  anything  to  do  with 
the  Wyandotte  Nation,  and  even  when  Stewart  died 
Charles  Elliott,  D.  D.,  had  the  charge  of  the  mission, 
and  Mr.  Finley  was  only  his  assistant ;  and  in  after 
life,  when  he  had  charge  of  this  work  as  the  Presid- 
ing Elder,  the  mission  was  principally  under  the  pas- 
torate of  such  men  as  Jacob  Cooper,  J.  C.  Brooks, 
James  Gilruth  and  Russel  Bigelow.  I  would  not 
depreciate  the  labors  of  this  excellent  brother,  who 
was  for  many  years  the  pioneer  minister  of  Ohio, 
and  contributed  largely  in  planting  Methodism  north 
and  south,  and  labored  somewhat  extensively  among 
the  Indians ;  but  honor  to  whom  honor  is  due.  From 
my  own  personal  knowledge,  no  man  before  or  since 
ever  accomplished  the  same  amount  of  good  among 
the  Indians  at  Upper  Sandusky  as  did  my  colleague, 
Rev.  Thomas  Thompson,  who  was  assigned  to  this 
charge  the  first  year  after  he  was  admitted  into  the 
Ohio  Conference,  in  1828,  and  continued  at  this 
mission  for  six  years.  I  understand  that  this  brother 
is  still  living  in  Seneca  county,  Ohio,  though  in  feeble 
health,  awaiting  the  call  of  his  Master ;  and,  in  view 


EEV8.  JAMES  B.  FINLEY  AND  THOMAS  THOMPSON.    171 

of  his  long  and  useful  ministry,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that 
the  membership  of  his  conference  will  see  that  he  is 
amply  provided  for  until  death. 

My  ministerial  relations  with  this  excellent  brother 
during  1831-2  were  pleasant  and  satisfactory;  and 
through  the  mercy  of  a  kind  Providence  our  labors 
were  abundantly  blessed  with  unusual  prosperity  all 
over  the  work,  and  we  reported  to  conference  a 
membership  of  something  over  one  thousand  of 
whites  and  Indians. 

Since  writing  the  foregoing  this  excellent  brother 
has  departed  this  life  after  a  brief  illness.  He  had 
arranged  for  a  reunion  about  the  time  of  his  death. 
His  nephew,  E.  F.  Outhwaite,  at  whose  house  the 
meeting  was  to  be,  informs  me  that  at  the  time  of 
Br.  Thompson's  sickness,  he  appeared  to  feel  disap- 
pointed. He  had  hoped  to  live  to  enjoy  the  pleasure 
of  meeting  and  talking  over  our  missionary  days, 
and  the  scenes  of  former  years.  "  The  meeting," 
said  he,  "  will  now  be  deferred  until  we  meet  in 
heaven."  Br.  Thompson  died  at  the  family  residence 
near  Kepublic,  Ohio,  March  14,  1884.  His  last 
hours  were  peaceful  and  triumphant.  I  am  now 
the  only  missionary  left  of  all  who  labored  with  the 
Wyandottes  before  they  went  west. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


MONROE,    MICHIGAN. 


I  was  assigned  to  this  charge  in  1832.  At  this 
early  day  Monroe  was  but  a  small  place.  It  had 
taken  on  village  airs  in  1817,  and  was  incorporated 
in  1837,  and  at  this  time  was  principally  inhabited 
by  Canadian-French.  Being  destitute  of  a  church 
edifice,  the  Methodists  occupied  the  court  house  as  a 
place  of  public  worship.  During  my  rest  week  I 
made  my  home  and  headquarters  with  Mr.  Stoddard, 
whose  wife  and  daughter  were  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church ;  and  I  soon  became 
much  attached  to  the  Monroe  society  for  the  warm 
and  cordial  respect  which  they  manifested  towards 
their  pastor.  There  were  some  of  the  most  refined 
and  intelligent  young  ladies  belonging  to  this  charge, 
and  one  of  whom  would  have  been  competent  to 
have  filled  the  place  of  a  Methodist  minister's  wife. 
But  knowing  the  law  of  the  church  and  the  penalty 
if  a  young  minister  married  before  he  had  served  his 
full  four  years  in  conference,  I  dared  not  as  much  as 
squint  at  any  one  of  them,  much  less  to  make  any 
propositions.  However,  like  the  Quaker  whose  con- 
science would  not  permit  him  to  fight  in  the  defense 
of  his  country,  but  who  could  tell  others  where  to 
(172) 


FAVORABLE  RESULTS  IN  ANSWER  TO  PRAYER.    173 

shoot  and  not  be  likely  to  miss  their  man,  I  referred 
my  successor  to  one  of  these  young  ladies,  and  Rev. 
William  Sprague  took  a  prize  in  Miss  Zeruba  Hall ; 
and  soon  after  Miss  Aremintha  Stoddard  followed 
her  good  example. 

There  are  many  precious  ones  who  were  at  that 
time  living  in  Monroe,  to  whom  I  would  be  pleased 
to  refer  had  I  the  time  and  space,  though  there  are 
but  few  left  to  tell  the  story  of  the  early  planting  of 
Methodism  in  Monroe. 

FAVORABLE    RESULTS    IN    ANSWER   TO    PRATER. 

There  was  a  very  respectable  gentleman,  of  con- 
siderable influence,  lying  sick  in  Monroe,  who  was 
not  expected  to  live.  He  was  deeply  concerned  for 
the  salvation  of  his  soul,  and  was  anxious  that  the 
young  Methodist  minister,  with  whom  he  was  par- 
tially acquainted,  might  be  sent  for  to  converse  and 
pray  with  him.  The  attending  physician  had  for- 
bidden anyone  save  the  nurse  to  enter  his  room,  and 
had  prohibited  anything  like  religious  excitement. 
However,  as  the  man  was  near  death,  and  in  all 
probability  would  die  before  morning,  the  doctor 
consented  to  have  the  minister  sent  for,  and  as  many 
others  as  he  might  wish. 

At  the  close  of  the  morning  service  on  Sabbath 
Mr.  Dunbar  informed  me  of  the  dying  man's  request, 
and  wrished  me  to  meet  him  in  the  sick  man's  room 


174         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

soon  after  dinner,  with  a  few  members  of  the  church. 
"When  we  were  assembled,  I  quoted  a  few  passages 
of  scripture  by  way  of  encouragement,  and  we  en- 
gaged in  singing  and  praying,  all  being  deeply  anx- 
ious for  the  poor  man's  conversion.  Towards  even- 
ing the  fever  subsided,  and  the  man,  with  what  little 
strength  he  had,  was  praising  God  for  his  deliver- 
ance. At  a  late  hour  in  the  evening  we  all  retired, 
being  fully  satisfied  that  God  had  power  on  earth  to 
forgive  sins.  The  brother  rested  well  during  the 
night,  and  in  the  morning  was  able  to  sit  up  in  his 
bed  and  receive  some  nourishment.  The  attending 
physician  called,  and  to  his  surprise  found  his  patient 
still  alive  and  in  a  fair  way  of  recovery.  Soon  after 
Dr.  Lynn  called  at  my  room  and  declared  if  he  ever 
had  another  patient  near  death  he  would  turn  him 
over  to  the  Methodists.  I  said  to  the  doctor,  "It  was 
useless  to  expect  a  man  to  improve  under  medical 
treatment,  who  is  deeply  concerned  for  the  welfare 
of  his  soul.  The  mind  has  much  to  do  with  the 
body.  Have  no  fear,  doctor,  as  to  the  Methodists. 
They  can  pray  the  devil  out  of  you  or  any  other 
sinner,  only  give  them  a  fair  chance."  The  doctor 
smiled  and  said  he  must  admit  they  had  helped  him 
out  of  a  hard  case. 

In  1860,  while  attending  the  General  Conference 
at  Buffalo,  New  York,  I  received  a  letter  from  this 
brother  saying  he  saw  my  name  in  the  roll  of  the 


FAVORABLE  RESULTS  IN  ANSWER  TO  PRAYER.   175 

General  Conference,  and  wished  to  know  if  I  was 
the  same  person  who  held  a  prayer  meeting  in  his 
room  in  Monroe,  Michigan,  in  the  summer  of  1833. 
If  so,  he  would  inform  me  that  the  first  ray  of  hope 
that  he  might  be  saved  and  restored  to  health  was 
when  I  quoted  the  passage  from  the  Bible  that  "the 
prayer  of  faith  shall  save  the  sick."  He  was  at  this 
time  living  in  California,  and  was  still  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  had  been  in 
the  ministry  for  the  past  seven  years.  I  answered 
Brother  Smith's  letter,  thanking  him  for  his  kind 
remembrance,  and  hoped  that  he  might  prove  faith- 
ful until  death.  I  have  his  letter  filed  away  with 
others  of  precious  memory. 

I  will  admit  that  no  person  should  visit  the  room 
of  a  sick  patient  with  a  sad  countenance  or  express 
his  fear,  but  with  a  cheerful  countenance  and  a  hope- 
ful spirit.  It  is  all  a  mistake  to  exclude  the  minister 
and  proper  religious  conversation.  A  word  of  prayer 
and  encouragement  may  do  much  in  changing  the 
mind  of  the  sick  and  producing  a  reaction  in  the 
whole  system,  and  thus  promote  recovery  instead  of 
being  injurious. 

The  Monroe  Circuit  was  an  extensive  field  of  labor. 
It  commenced  within  four  miles  of  Detroit,  in  the 
Lacroix  settlement,  and  included  the  Indian  mission 
on  the  Huron  river,  the  town  of  Flat  Rock  and  the 
Bay  settlement,  in  Michigan,  and  extended  into  Ohio> 


176         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

including  all  the  towns  along  the  Maumee  river,  and 
running  along  the  Indiana  State  line  within  a  few 
miles  of  Fort  Wayne,  requiring  some  four  hundred 
miles  of  horseback  travel  every  four  weeks. 

This  was  a  year  of  unusual  prosperity,  not  only  in 
Michigan,  but  in  Ohio.  It  was  the  year  of  the  great 
revival  in  Maumee  City,  during  which  I  received  into 
the  Church  some  forty-two  members,  among  them 
Mrs.  Sophia  Hunt,  of  precious  memory,  the  wife  of 
General  John  Hunt,  and  sister-in-law  of  ex-Governor 
Cass,  of  Michigan.  Mrs.  Hunt,  with  her  amiable 
disposition  and  consistent  Christian  character,  was  for 
many  years  a  useful  member,  and  contributed  largely 
to  the  prosperity  of  Methodism  in  Maumee  City ; 
and  in  after  life,  for  several  years  previous  to  her 
death,  was  recognized  as  the  mother  of  Methodism 
in  the  St.  Paul's  Church,  in  the  city  of  Toledo. 

Among  others  who  made  a  profession  of  religion 
during  this  meeting  was  Miss  Maria  Jackson,  the 
eldest  daughter  of  James  Jackson,  the  Indian  agent, 
appointed  by  President  Jackson,  and  stationed  at 
Maumee.  Mr.  Jackson  and  his  excellent  lady  were 
among  the  older  members  in  this  place.  The  preach- 
ers were  always  made  welcome  to  their  house  and 
home,  and  many  of  the  pioneer  ministers  of  the 
Maumee  valley  enjoyed  the  pleasures  of  their  hospi- 
tality. 

Had  I  the  time  and  space,  I  should  be  pleased  to 


FAVORABLE  RESULTS  IN  ANSWER  TO  PRAYER.    177 

refer  to  all  who  united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 

Church  during  this  revival.     Some  have  died,  others 

have  moved  away,  while  there  are  a  few  who  still 

remain  as  useful  and  active  members  of  the  Church. 

And  there  are  many  precious  ones  whom  we  found 

as  active  members  at  the  Ten  Mile  Church  in  1832 ; 

among  the  number  Eli  Hubbard,  whose  home  was 

a  pleasant  resort  for  the  early  itinerants,  and  his 

house  a  preaching  place  until  the  log  school  house 

was  erected  near  the  Collingwood  cemetery.    Brother 

Hubbard  was  one  among  the  excellent  ones  of  earth, 

and  I  am  pleased  to  say  his  children  followed  the 

example  of  their  noble  parents,  and  the  few  who  are 

yet  living  are  members  of  the  Church. 

William  Wilkinson,  of  precious  memory,  was  the 

only  local  preacher  in  this  section  of  the  country. 

He  had  moved  with  his  family  from  Canada,  and 

had  settled  on  the  road  leading  from  Ten  Mile  creek 

to  Monroe,  Michigan.     His  humble  log  cabin,  which 

was  unfinished,  was  surrounded  by  a  slight  forest, 

with  a  beautiful  lawn  of  wild  grass  in  front  of  the 

house.    The  first  Sabbath  after  they  had  entered  their 

new  home,  early  in  the  morning,  a  beautiful  deer 

made  its  appearance  upon  this  green,  wild  meadow, 

and  commenced  feeding.     John,  the  elder  son,  had 

taken  down  his  rifle,  and  was  preparing  to  shoot  the 

animal.     This  conscientious  Christian  brother,  Mr. 

Wilkinson,  said  there  must  not  be  any  shooting  about 

his  premises  on  Sunday.    He  had  not  left  his  religion 
12 


178  CRUMBS    FROM    MY  SADDLE    BAGS. 

in  Canada,  but  had  brought  it  with  him  into  Ohio, 
and  the  sanctity  of  the  Sabbath  must  be  observed  by 
all  the  members  of  his  family,  as  it  had  been  in  the 
past. 

John  said  "  he  believed  God  had  sent  it  to  them, 
as  there  was  not  a  mouthful  of  meat  in  the  house." 

"No,  my  son,  God  never  sent  that  deer  to  be 
killed  on  the  Sabbath.  He  never  tempts  people  to 
do  wrong." 

John  put  away  his  gun  reluctantly,  remarking  he 
hoped  he  might  never  have  such  a  Methodist  re- 
ligion ;  there  was  too  much  superstition  connected 
with  it. 

On  Monday  morning,  about  the  same  time  in  the 
day,  the  deer  again  appeared  at  the  same  place,  in 
company  with  a  large  buck.  Mrs.  Wilkinson  called 
John  and  her  husband,  and  directed  their  attention 
to  the  beautiful  sight.  John  was  soon  on  hand  with 
his  loaded  rifle. 

"  Now,  my  son,"  said  Mr.  Wilkinson,  "  I  want  you 
to  shoot  the  doe  first." 

"  Father,  why  not  take  the  buck ;  he  is  much  the 
largest." 

"  Do  as  I  say,  and  then  you  will  find  out  what  I 
mean;  and  I  will  teach  you  something,  my  son, 
about  hunting.  Take  good  aim  and  don't  get  ex- 
cited, and  shoot  the  doe  right  back  of  the  fore 
shoulder." 

John  fired,  and  as  the  bullet  struck  the  doe  she 


FAVORABLE  RESULTS  IN  ANSWER  TO  PRAYER.    179 

bleated,  the  buck  still  standing,  waiting  for  his  mate 
to  start  with  him.  John  then  loaded  and  fired  again, 
and  the  buck  dropped ;  and  as  they  walked  out  and 
stood  beside  their  prize  John  was  perfectly  delighted. 

"Now,  my  son,"  said  his  father,  "  I  want  you  to 
remember  there  is  nothing  to  be  made  in  breaking 
the  Sabbath.  God  never  rewards  people  for  dis- 
obeying his  requirements,  but  always  rewards  obedi- 
ence to  his  will.  Here  you  have  two  deer  for  one 
by  keeping  the  Sabbath.  The  doe  not  being  dis- 
turbed yesterday,  returned  to-day  with  her  mate  '> 
and  now  the  scarcity  of  meat  of  which  you  com- 
plained has  been  abundantly  supplied,  and  you  have 
the  pleasure  of  knowing  you  have  kept  the  Sabbath 
and  have  obeyed  your  parents,  and  I  most  earnestly 
pray  that  this  may  be  a  lesson  to  you  through  life. 
And  now,  John,  what  do  you  think  to-day  of  your 
father's  religion  and  his  Methodism?" 

John  hesitated.  "  Well,  to  be  honest,  I  like  it 
much  better  than  I  did  yesterday." 

This  is  a  true  narrative,  and  I  have  penned  it  as. 
an  example  of  consistency  with  a  moral  worth,  re- 
membering, "  In  all  thy  ways  acknowledge  him,  and 
he  shall  direct  thy  path."  This  place  is  now  included 
in  the  corporation  of  Toledo. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

METHODISM    IN    WHAT   IS    NOW    TOLEDO. 

The  Detroit  District  (then  in  the  Ohio  Conference), 
was  constituted  in  1825,  and  was  the  first  district 
that  was  formed  in  the  Michigan  Territory,  includ- 
ing a  membership  of  252.  This  district  was  com- 
posed of  two  appointments  in  the  Michigan  Terri- 
tory, the  Detroit  Station  and  the  Detroit  Circuit ; 
and  also  two  charges  in  Ohio,  the  Defiance  Mission, 
and  the  Wyandotte  Mission,  at  Upper  Sandusky.  The 
first  Presiding  Elder  sent  upon  this  district  was  Wil- 
liam Simmons,  who  was  the  stationed  preacher  in 
the  city,  as  well  as  the  superintendent  of  the  district. 
The  Detroit  Circuit  was  supplied  by  two  ministers — 
John  A.  Baughman  and  Solomon  Manier.  This  cir- 
cuit included  all  the  regular  appointments  in  the 
Michigan  Territory,  with  the  exception  of  the  De- 
troit City,  and  furnished  preaching  occasionally  at 
Maumee  City  and  Perrysburg,  in  Ohio.  The  Fort 
Defiance  charge  included  all  between  Maumee  and 
Perrysburg,  near  the  Maumee  river,  on  both  sides  as 
far  up  as  Fort  Defiance,  and  this  extensive  mission 
was  supplied  by  Elias  Pattee,  who  was  among  the 
early  pioneers  of  Upper  Canada  and  Northwestern 
Ohio.     The  Wyandotte  Mission  was  supplied  by  two 

(180) 


METHODISM  IN  WHAT  IS  NOW  TOLEDO.  181 

ministers — James  B.  Finley  and  James  C.  Brooke. 

In  the  fall  of  1825  Mr.  Baughman  and  Mr.  Manier, 
his  colleagues,  preached  the  first  sermons  and  formed 
the  first  class  at  Ten  Mile  Creek  (since  Tremaine- 
ville),  now  included  in  the  city  of  Toledo.  This  was 
the  first  preaching  and  the  first  class  between  Mon- 
roe, Michigan,  and  Maumee  City.  This  class  at 
Ten  Mile  Creek  was  composed  of  twelve  members, 
as  may  be  seen  by  their  names  in  the  class  book,  re- 
corded in  the  hand  writing  of  Mr.  Manier,  as  follows: 
Frances  M.  Whitney,  Catharine  Martin,  Elenor  Wall- 
worth,  Sarah  Wall  worth,  Sophrona  Horton,  Hannah 
Horton,  Elizabeth  Martin,  Lydia  Martin,  Elizabeth 
Holmes,  Mary  Keeler,  Mary  Mills  and  Maggie 
Miller.  This  was  the  first  and  only  class  formed  at 
this  place.  As  there  were  no  male  members,  Mrs. 
Frances  Maria  Whitney  was  appointed  class  leader, 
and  continued  in  that  capacity  for  some  time,  exert- 
ing: an  excellent  moral  influence  over  the  members 
of  her  class  and  throughout  the  entire  community. 
I  still  have  her  class  book  in  my  possession,  and  have 
had  this  for  more  than  forty  years.  It  is  now  yellow 
with  the  age  of  half  a  century. 

The  name  of  Maria  Whitney,  wife  of  Hon.  Ashley 
Whitney,  will  be  handed  down  to  the  latest  posterity 
as  one  of  the  most  refined  and  intelligent  ladies  in 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  at  that  day,  in  the 
Maumee  Valley.  I  became  acquainted  with  this  ex- 
cellent family  the  first  year  I  entered  the  Michigan 


182         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

Territory,  in  1828.  No  man  has  been  more  loyal  or 
contributed  more  liberally  to  the  Methodist  Church, 
according  to  his  means,  than  Noah  Ashley  Whitney. 
He  died  in  1873,  and  has  entered  upon  his  final  re- 
ward in  company  with  his  three  excellent  compan- 
ions. There  is  but  one  of  the  family  left.  May  God 
in  his  providence  make  Ashley,  Jr.,  as  useful  and 
honored  as  his  sainted  father. 

The  following  are  the  ministers  who  preached  at 
Tremainsville,  Maumee,  Perrysburg  and  Waterville 
from  1825  to  1S32 : 

1826 — Monroe  Circuit — Zarah  Costin,  Presiding 
Elder ;  John  A.  Baughman,  pastor. 

1827  — Monroe  Circuit — Zarah  Costin,  Presiding 
Elder ;  George  W.  Walker,  pastor. 

1828  —  Monroe  Circuit  —  Zarah  Costin,  Presiding 
Elder ;  George  W.  Walker,  pastor. 

1829 — Monroe  Circuit — Curtis  Goddard,  Presiding 
Elder ;  Jacob  Hill,  pastor. 

1830 — Monroe  Circuit — Curtis  Goddard,  Presiding 
Elder ;  James  W.  Finley,  pastor. 

1831 — Monroe  Circuit — Curtis  Goddard,  Presiding 
Elder ;  James  W.  Finley,  pastor. 

The  first  class  at  Maumee  was  formed  by  nwself 
in  1832,  in  the  house  of  James  Jackson. 

THE    COMMENCEMENT    OF    METHODISM  IN  TOLEDO    PROPER. 

Up  to  1832  there  had  not  been  any  Methodist 
preaching  in  Toledo.  What  is  now  called  Toledo  was 


METHODISM  IN  TOLEDO  PKOPEB.  183 

but  a  small  place  with  but  few  houses,  and  it  had 
not  yet  even  been  christened.  Port  Lawrence  and 
Vistula  were  the  two  competing  names  for  the  future 
great  city.  Toledo  proper  had  but  just  commenced 
in  the  fall  of  1832,  and  the  site  was  principally  cov- 
ered with  huckleberry  bushes,  winter  green,  swamps 
and  swales,  reeds  and  rushes,  and  presented  any- 
thing else  than  a  favorable  place  for  a  great  city. 
Besides,  at  this  time  it  had  the  reputation  of  being 
the  most  unhealthy  place  on  the  Maumee  river.  It 
had  been  reported  that  a  traveler  who  remained 
over  night  in  Toledo  inquired  of  the  landlord  in  the 
morning  the  road  to  Monroe,  Michigan.  He  was  in- 
structed to  keep  the  main-traveled  road  through  the 
woods  until  he  came  to  Ten  Mile  creek.  The  stranger 
soon  returned  and  gave  the  landlord  a  blowing  up, 
saying  he  had  followed  the  main-traveled  road,  but 
that  led  him  into  the  graveyard. 


CHAPTEE  XXV. 

FIRST   SERMON   PREACHED   IN   TOLEDO. 

During  my  early  ministry  upon  the  Monroe  Circuit 
in  1832,  I  preached  the  first  sermon  in  what  is  now 
the  city  of  Toledo  proper,  but  was  at  that  day 
called  Vistula.  Manhattan  and  Vistula  were  two 
small  villages,  with  but  few  inhabitants,  and  destitute 
of  a  Church,  or  a  school  house,  or  any  place  con- 
venient for  public  worship. 

Spending  a  few  days  with  Major  C.  I.  Keeler  and 
his  excellent  family,  whose  house  and  home  were 
always  hospitably  open  to  the  early  itinerant  minis- 
ter, I  requested  the  Major  to  accompany  me,  and 
if  a  place  could  be  obtained  in  Vistula  I  would  be 
pleased  to  preach  to  the  people  of  that  place  on 
Sabbath.  Through  the  kindness  of  my  host,  a  room 
was  obtained  for  one  service  in  a  warehouse  owned 
or  occupied  by  Mr.  Goddard,  standing  on  the  bank 
of  the  river,  and  afterwards  removed  by  Mr.  Baldwin 
to  make  room  for  a  more  convenient  building.  Here, 
the  last  week  of  October,  1832,  I  preached  from  the 
17th  verse  of  the  19th  chapter  of  Genesis,  to  twelve 
persons,  most  of  whom  were  women.  This  was  the 
first  sermon  preached  by  any  minister  in  what  is 
(184) 


FIRST  SERMON  PREACHED  IN  TOLEDO.  185 

now  the  city  of  Toledo.     I  know  whereof  I  speak, 
regardless  of  the  opinion  of  others. 

Elijah  H.  Pilcher  and  William  Sprague  were 
my  successors  on  the  Monroe  Circuit,  in  1833, 
and  it  has  been  said  that  during  this  year  they 
preached  in  this  city ;  that  may  be,  but  not  in  1832. 
I  have  a  letter  in  my  possession  from  Mr.  Pilcher,  in 
which  he  says  his  first  sermon  preached  in  Toledo 
was  on  January  27,  1833 ;  and  this  is  definite  and 
settles  the  question.  The  Maumee  District  was  con- 
stituted in  1834— Leonard  B.  Gurley,  Presiding 
Eider  Monroe  Circuit.  William  Sprague  and  S.  F. 
Suthard.  In  1835,  L.  B.  Gurley,  Presiding  Elder. 
Perrysburg,  Cyrus  Brooks.  1836 — The  Michigan 
Conference  was  constituted  with  the  following  Dis- 
tricts: Wooster,  Norwalk,  Detroit,  Ann  Arbor, 
Maumee  and  Tiffin,  with  a  membership  of  18,776. 
Toledo  and  vicinity  was  supplied  from  the  Maumee 
District,  John  Janes,  Presiding  Elder  ;  Maumee  and 
Perrysburg,  Orin  Mitchell;  Toledo,  Ira  Chase. 
During  Mr.  Chase's  two  years  upon  this  charge,  he 
established  the  first  class  in  Toledo  proper.  The 
Waterville  Mission  was  commenced  this  year,  and 
was  supplied  with  A.  Flemming  and  Wesley  Shortis, 
and  was  a  small  field  of  labor  including  a  member- 
ship of  224.  It  had  an  existence  of  eight  years,  and 
closed  with  a  membership  of  101.  In  1843  Charles 
Thomas  was  sent  upon  this  charge.     He  examined 


1S6         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

the  field  and  the  amount  allowed  for  the  support  of 
himself  and  family.  He  remained  over  night  at 
Father  Pray's  at  Waterville,  and  left  in  the  morning 
before  daylight  and  never  stopped  until  he  got  out 
of  the  Black  Swamp,  and  sent  word  back  if  he  had 
to  starve  or  die  with  the  chills  and  fever,  he  would 
prefer  being  buried  at  Jeromeville,  Wayne  County, 
Ohio,  and  never  returned  to  the  wrork  again.  Mau- 
mee,  James  A.  Kellam.  In  1838 — J.  Janes,  Presiding 
Elder;  Toledo,  W.  Brock  and  Andrew  M.  Fitch; 
Maumee  and  Perrysburg,  David  Burns.  In  1839 — 
J.  Janes,  Presiding  Elder ;  Toledo,  Austin  Coleman 
and  S.  B.  Giberson  ;  Maumee,  Oliver  Burgess  ;  Per- 
rysburg, K.  H.  Chubb  and  J.  "W*.  Bowen. 

In  1840  the  Michigan  Conference  was  divided  and 
the  North  Ohio  Conference  constituted,  consisting  of 
the  following  Districts :  Norwalk,  Wooster,  Mount 
Vernon,  Tiffin,  Bellefontaine  and  Maumee,  with  a 
membership  of  23,844,  including  ninety-one  colored 
and  two  hundred  and  thirteen  Indians.  In  1840 — 
Maumee  District,  Wesley  Brock,  Presiding  Elder  ; 
Maumee,  Jonathan  E.  Chaplin  ;  Perrysburg,  K.  H. 
Chubb  and  Abner  Cracraft ;  Toledo,  John  Tibbies. 
In  1841 — Wesley  Brock,  Presiding  Elder ;  Maumee, 
J.  E.  Chaplin ;  Perrysburg,  Leonard  Hill  and  Philip 
Start ;  Toledo,  E.  Pt.  Hill  and  F.  C.  Paine.  In  1842— 
Wesley  Brock,  Presiding  Elder  ;  Maumee,  E.  R.  Hill ; 
Perrysburg,  Horatio  S.  Bradley ;  Toledo,  Samuel  L. 


FIRST  SERMON  PREACHED  IN  TOLEDO.  187 

Yourtee.  In  1S43— John  T.  Kellam,  Presiding  Elder; 
Maumee,  H.  S.  Bradley ;  Perrysburg,  John  L.  John- 
son; Toledo,  Samuel  L.  Yourtee.  1844 — John  T. 
Kellam,  Presiding  Elder;  Maumee,  H.  S.  Bradley; 
Perrysburg,  Joseph  Jones ;  Toledo,  Luke  S.  Johnson  ; 
Sylvania,  Simeon  H.  Alderman.  This  was  the  first 
year  a  circuit  was  called  after  Sylvania,  and  now 
included  the  principal  appointments  which  had  pre- 
viously been  attached  to  Toledo.  1845 — Thomas 
Barkdull,  Presiding  Elder ;  Maumee,  W.  J.  Wells ; 
Perrysburg,  John  R.  Jewett ;  Sylvania,  Thomas  J. 
Pope ;  Toledo,  Martin  Welch.  184G—  Thomas  Bark- 
dull,  Presiding  Elder ;  Maumee  City  station,  George 
W.  Howe ;  Perrysburg,  Thomas  Cooper ;  Sylvania, 
William  Thatcher ;  Toledo  station,  William  L.  Harris, 
now  bishop  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Mr. 
Harris  was  the  first  stationed  minister  of  the  M.  E. 
Church  in  the  city  of  Toledo,  according  to  the 
published  minutes  and  Church  records. 

In  1847 — Maumee  District,  Thomas  Barkdull,  Pre- 
siding Elder  ;  Toledo,  W.  W.  Winter ;  Maumee,  E.  R. 
Jewett ;  Sylvania,  Luke  S.  Johnson ;  Perrysburg, 
C.  H.  Owen.  1848  —  Maumee  District,  Thomas 
Barkdull,  Presiding  Elder  ;  Maumee,  W.  S.  Lunt ; 
Sylvania,  Octavius  Waters  and  James  M.  Wilcox; 
Perrysburg,  Lafayette  Ward.  1849 — Maumee  Dis- 
trict,George  W.  Breckenridge,  Presiding  Elder;  Tole- 
do, James  A.  Kellam ;  Maumee,  W.  S.  Lunt ;  Syl- 
vania,  A.  Foster  and  A.  H.  Walters  ;  Perrysburg, 


188         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

John  Graham.  1850 — Mauraee  District,  William  C. 
Peirce,  Presiding  Elder  ;  Toledo,  William  M.  Hitch- 
cock; Mautnee,  Thomas  J.  Pope;  Sylvania,  James 
Evans  and  John  Crabbs ;  Perrysburg,  Thomas 
Parker;  1851 — Maumee  District,  William  C.  Peirce, 
Presiding  Elder ;  Toledo,  John  Graham ;  Maumee, 
Uriah  Richards ;  Sylvania,  John  Crabbs  and  George 
G.  Lyon ;  Perrysburg,  Thomas  J.  Pope.  1852 — 
Maumee  District,  William  C.  Peirce,  Presiding  Elder ; 
Toledo,  Jacob  T.  Caples  ;  Maumee,  Uriah  Richards ; 
Perrysburg,  Thomas  J.  Pope ;  Sylvania,  David  W. 
Ocker.  1853 — Maumee  District,  William  C.  Peirce, 
Presiding  Elder  ;  Toledo,  Jacob  T.  Caples  ;  Maumee, 
Thomas  J.  Pope  ;  Toledo  City  Mission,  D.  Rutledge  ; 
Perrysburg,  D.  P.  Pelton ;  Sylvania,  David  W. 
Ocker.  1851 — Maumee  District,  David  Gray,  Pre- 
siding Elder;  Toledo,  Thomas  Parker;  Maumee, 
Ralph  Wilcox;  Toledo  City  Mission,  C.  H.  Owen; 
Perrysbnrg,  Jacob  F.  Burkholder ;  Sylvania,  L.  D. 
Rogers  and  A.B.Poe.  1855 — Maumee  District,  David 
Gray,  Presiding  Elder;  Toledo,  Thomas  Parker; 
Maumee,  Edward  B.  Morrison  ;  Perrysburg,  L.  D. 
Rogers :  Toledo  City  Mission,  John  A.  Shannon ; 
Sylvania,  Ambrose  Hollington.  This  closes  the 
North  Ohio  conference,  and  the  commencement  of 
the  Delaware  conference  in  1856. 

GROWTH    OF    METHODISM   IN   TOLEDO. 

As  before  stated,  the  first  class  in  Toledo  proper 
was   formed   in    1836   by  Rev.  Ira   Chase,  now   of 


GROWTH  OF  METHODISM  IN  TOLEDO.  189 

Delaware,  Delaware  County,  Ohio ;  but  not  until  ten 
years  later  was  Toledo  discontinued  from  the  circuit 
and  became  an  independent  charge.  In  1846,  accord- 
ing to  the  published  minutes,  Toledo  was  made  a 
station,  and  William  L.  Harris,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  at 
present  Bishop  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
was  appointed  to  this  charge. 

Since  1825,  this  being  the  time  the  first  class  was 
formed  at  Ten  Mile  Creek,  about  125  itinerant  min- 
isters have  preached  in  this  place.  Of  these  excel- 
lent brethren  some  have  died,  others  have  located, 
some  have  superannuated,  and  about  one-half  are 
still  in  the  effective  work.  While  we  acknowledge 
that  not  all  has  been  accomplished  in  the  city  of 
Toledo  we  might  have  wished,  still  we  have  reason 
to  be  thankful  to  the  great  head  of  the  Church,  that 
there  has  been  a  gradual  increase,  and  Methodism 
still  lives,  and  the  Church  will  soon  be  free  from 
all  its  indebtedness.  There  are  now  within  the  city 
limits  about  1,200  church  members,  and  about  1,256 
Sabbath  School  scholars,  teachers  and  superintend- 
ents, and  church  property  estimated  to  be  worth 
$128,000.  May  kind  Providence  continue  to  rest  and 
abide  upon  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  this 
beautiful  and  growing  city  of  Toledo.  These  statistics 
do  not  include  the  German  Methodist  Churches. 

ITENERANT  MINISTERS  WHO  HAVE  DIED. 

In  view  of  the  unhealthiness  of  the  Maumee  Val' 


190  CROIBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

ley  at  an  early  day,  it  was  said  that  a  person  moving 
to  this  county  should  take  his  coffin  with  him  and 
friends  enough  to  bury  him,  providing  he  wanted  a 
decent  interment.  But  considering  the  large  num- 
ber of  ministers  who  have  been  assigned  to  this  field 
of  labor,  some  of  whom  have  remained  for  a  number 
of  years,  the  mortality  has  not  been  very  great. 
However,  we  record  the  names  of  most,  if  not  all, 
who  have  finished  their  work,  within  the  bounds  of 
this  territory,  or  those  who  have  departed  this  life 
since  1825.  Their  names  are  as  follows  :  Conowa, 
Shortess,  Cracraft,  Carpenter,  Scannelland  Lindsley. 
These  were  among  the  early  deaths.  Since  then 
Harper,  Adams,  Caples,  and  still  more  recently,  Mil- 
ler, Duvall,  Beatty,  Graham,  Clark  and  Lunt,  all  of 
whom  were  consistent  and  faithful  ministers,  and  died 
in  hope  of  eternal  life.  The  labors  of  these  faithful 
servants  will  long  be  remembered  as  the  early  pioneers 
of  the  Northwest.  The  graves  of  some  of  these  noble 
voung  ministers  may  be  found  along  the  banks  of 
the  Maumee.  Two  were  re-interred  in  the  new 
cemetery  at  Napoleon,  Ohio, — Scannell  and  Lindsley. 
The  remains  of  others  were  conveyed  to  their  friends 
in  different  parts  of  the  State,  and  it  may  be  said 
with  propriety,  "  Blessed  are  the  dead  who  die  in  the 
Lord  from  henceforth.  Yea,  saith  the  spirit,  that 
they  may  rest  from  their  labors,  and  their  works  do 
follow  them.'- 


AMUSING  REPORT  OF  A  MINISTER.  191 

In  1850  I  was  engaged  in  the  agency  for  the  Ohio 
Wesleyan  University,  and  in  company  with  the  Pre- 
siding Elder,  William  0.  Peirce,  attended  his  Quar- 
terly meeting  at  Gorham,  Fulton  County,  Ohio.  This 
meeting  was  held  in  connection  with  the  dedication 
of  the  new  church  at  that  place.  Rev.  Octavius 
Watters,  pastor  on  the  Chesterfield  work,  now  in  the 
practice  of  law  at  Delta,  Ohio,  was  called  upon  by 
the  elder  to  read  his  quarterly  report.  Having  given 
a  general  statement  as  to  the  charge,  he  said  he  was 
now  compelled  to  report  that  A.,  B.  and  C.  had 
withdrawn  from  the  Church  because  it  required  too 
much  quarterage  to  support  the  preachers,  and,  rais- 
ing his  voice,  he  exclaimed,  "  And  now  let  all  the 
people  say  amen ! " 

This  was  a  very  profitable  and  interesting  meeting 
for  Gorham  and  the  Chesterfield  work.  The  public 
services  were  acceptable  to  the  people,  and  the  mem- 
bership pleased  with  their  first  church  and  the 
liquidation  of  the  debt.  And  all  appeared  to  be  de- 
lighted with  their  new  Presiding  Elder  as  to  his  in- 
telligence, modesty  and  ministry.  The  agent  was  en- 
couraged in  the  sale  of  scholarships  as  an  endowment 
for  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University.  There  are  some 
pleasant  and  sad  remembrances  of  this  interesting 
occasion.  Three  young  men  who  attended  this 
meeting,  in  after  life  became  noted  and  popular 
ministers,   Dr.   Watson,  who  died  at  Chicago,  Dr. 


192         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

Fuller,  who  died  at  Atlanta,  Georgia,  and  Dr.  L. 
Taylor,  who  resides  in  New  York  City.  The  author 
will  not  soon  forget  his  frozen  condition  and  the 
kindness  which  he  received  from  the  Presiding 
Elder  and  his  excellent  lady  when  he  arrived  at 
the  parsonage  from  his  long  and  tedious  journey  from 
Defiance  to  Maum.ee  City  during  one  of  the  coldest 
days  of  all  the  winter.  And  this  was  my  first 
experience  in  the  agency  which  had  its  lights  and 
shades. 


CHAPTER  XXYI. 

WYANDOTTE  MISSION  ON  THE    HURON    KIVEK,  MICHIGAN. 

I  now  propose  to  say  a  few  words  in  regard  to  the 
Indians  and  my  missionary  work  at  Flat  Rock, 
Michigan  Territory.  I  am  aware  that  an  account  of 
the  Indians  will  not  be  very  interesting  to  all  per- 
sons, but  I  hope  to  be  heard  without  prejudice.  I 
remember  a  circumstance  which  occurred  early  in 
my  ministry.  A  lady  came  to  her  pastor  complain- 
ing of  one  of  the  members,  and  requesting  that  she 
might  be  expelled.  While  she  was  stating  her 
grievances  the  minister  placed  a  finger  in  one  of  his 
ears,  and  when  he  was  asked  why  he  treated  her 
with  such  disrespect.  He  said  that  he  was  keeping 
that  ear  for  the  other  side  of  the  story.  There  are 
two  sides  to  this  Indian  question,  and  while  there  is 
no  doubt  cause  for  complaint  on  the  part  of  the 
whites,  there  are  some  grounds  for  grievance  on  the 
part  of  the  Indians.  We  have  been  educated  to  be- 
lieve that  the  Indians,  as  a  race,  are  savages  of  the 
deepest  d}^e  ;  that  they  are  constantly  on  the  war  path 
murdering  and  scalping  men,  women  and  children  in- 
discriminately, and  that  individual  who  has  been  the 
most  successful  in  exterminating  them  has  been  con- 
sidered the  greatest  benefactor  of  his  race.  Having 
13  (193) 


194         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

been  acquainted  with  some  eight  or  ten  different 
tribes,  and  for  several  years  a  missionary  among 
them  in  the  States  and  Territories,  I  am  prepared  to 
state  from  my  own  experience  that  a  kinder  or  more 
loyal  race  of  human  beings  cannot  be  found  in  this  or 
any  other  country,  in  their  uncontaminated  state  and 
free  from  the  baneful  influence  of  the  white  Indian 
trader.  I  have  never  found  a  single  tribe  who  did 
not  believe  in  the  Great  Spirit  and  worship  him  in 
spirit  and  truth,  according  to  the  best  of  their  knowl- 
edge. As  to  their  honesty  and  integrity,  an  Indian's 
game  hung  up  in  the  woods  is  as  safe  from  theft  as 
it  would  be  in  his  own  wigwam.  And  as  to  anything 
like  profanity,  there  is  not  a  single  word  in  their 
language  for  cursing  or  swearing.  But  an  Indian  is 
no  fool,  or  unlike  other  human  beings,  and  they 
are  governed  somewhat  by  the  principles  of  equity 
recognized  in  the  Bible — "With  the  measure  you 
mete,  it  shall  be  measured  to  you  again."  They  re- 
member a  kindness,  and  never  forget  an  injury. 

CAUSE    FOR   INDIAN    TROUBLES. 

No  effect  can  be  produced  without  a  cause.  So  it 
was  in  regard  to  the  Indian  troubles  of  the  North- 
west, or  of  the  Maumee  Valley.  No  section  of  the 
country  furnished  them  so  many  attractions  for  a 
quiet  and  peaceful  home  as  the  Was-o-ha-conda  or 
the  Maumee  Valley.     The  oak  openings  and  cran- 


AS  TO  THESE  INDIAN  TROUBLES.  195 

berry  marshes  supplied  them  with  fruit,  the  wilder- 
ness with  game,  the  lakes  and  rivers  with  a  variety 
of  fowls  and  fish,  and  here  they  could  indulge  them- 
selves in  their  light  bark  canoes  upon  these  beautiful 
waters,  and  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  nature  in  all  of  its 
wildest  profusion. 

It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  they  became 
somewhat  sensitive  when  the  white  man  commenced 
intruding  upon  their  territory  and  thrusting  them 
out  to  seek  homes  somewhere  else,  or  that  they 
attempted  to  defend  their  inalienable  rights  and 
protect  the  homes  of  their  wives  and  children 
and  the  graves  of  their  loved  ones  and  of  their  hon- 
ored ancestry,  or  that  they  became  the  willing  sub- 
jects and  allies  of  a  foreign  power,  and  thus  united 
their  fortunes  with  the  British  Government. 

However  mercenary  or  deceptive  may  have  been 
the  feelings  of  the  Canadian  authorities,  these  un- 
tutored sons  of  the  forest  had  the  assurance  of 
their  support  and  protection.  These  were  the 
promptings  which  inflamed  their  passions  and  ren- 
dered them  disloyal  subjects  to  the  United  States, 
and  which  finally  left  them  deceived  and  disap- 
pointed, weakened  in  power  and  diminished  in  num- 
bers— scattered  and  driven  as  before  the  whirlwind. 

AS    TO    THESE    INDIAN    TROUBLES. 

I  am  pleased  to  say  there  were  some  honorable 


196        CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

exceptions,  even  among  these  Indians.  Such  was  the 
case  with  the  Wyandottes.  Three  hundred  and  sixty- 
four  of  them  had  formed  themselves  into  a  peaceable 
colony,  and  had  established  their  headquarters  near 
where  Fremont  is  now  located,  along  the  margin  of 
the  Sandusky  River.  They  assumed  a  neutral  posi- 
tion, and  established  an  asylum  to  all  who  were  dis- 
posed to  abide  by  their  conditions. 

Soon  after  the  War  of  1812,  peace  being  restored 
between  the  United  States  and  the  British  Govern- 
ment, this  colony  emigrated  and  settled  on  the 
Indian  reservation  on  the  Huron  River  near  Flat 
Rock,  in  Michigan.  Johannes,  a  white  man  who  had 
been  captured  by  the  Indians  in  youth,  was  my  in- 
formant as  to  this  colony,  and  he  was  well  known  by 
the  early  white  settlers  at  Flat  Rock.  And  I  would 
here  refer  to  the  names  of  the  following  persons  who 
were  well  acquainted  with  him  in  1832  and  '34,  dur- 
ing the  time  of  my  missionary  labors  among  these 
Indians :  Rev.  Rolla  H.  Chubb,  now  of  Delaware, 
Ohio ;  Peleg  Clark,  now  of  Sylvania,  Lucas  County, 
Ohio;  Dr.  John  Near,  the  Frelands,  Johnsons,  Pat- 
tees,  Ransoms,  and  others  of  Flat  Rock. 

Johannes,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  claimed  to  be 
114  years  of  age,  and  from  the  knowledge  I  had  of 
his  family — Blue  Jacket,  his  son;  No  Fat  and  Spy 
Buck,  his  grandchildren,  and  Ta-Wau-Tee,  his  great- 
grandchild, with  whom  he  lived,  and  where  he  died 


INCONVENIENCES  OF  A  MISSIONARY  LIEE.  197 

— I  am  inclined  to  think  that  he  must  have  lived  to 
a  very  great  age.  During  my  missionary  labors  at 
this  place  I  preached  his  funeral  sermon,  from  Job 
xlii :  18:  "  So  Job  died,  being  old  and  full  of  days." 

INCONVENIENCES    OF    A    MISSIONARY  LIFE. 

My  missionary  labors  in  Canada  and  Michigan 
among  the  Indians  were  very  different  from  those 
in  Ohio,  where  we  enjoyed  many  of  the  comforts  and 
conveniences  of  civilized  life,  and  where  the  farm  and 
the  missionary  appropriation  supplied  the  wants  of 
the  mission  and  school.  But  at  all  other  stations 
the  Indians  had  to  provide  for  themselves,  and  the 
missionary  lived  with  his  parishioners,  unless  he 
could  find  some  place  in  the  white  settlement  where 
they  could  afford  to  keep  him  for  his  good  looks,  or 
wait  for  their  reward  in  Heaven.  As  to  nryself,  I 
was,  like  Peter,  without  silver  or  gold,  and  the  In- 
dians felt  that  they  were  conferring  a  favor  when 
they  gave  me  the  best  they  had,  and  hence  the  log 
school  house  was  the  sanctuary,  parlor,  kitchen  and 
sleeping  room.  I  preferred  doing  my  own  cooking; 
my  food  was  of  the  plainest  quality,  such,  as  I  could 
obtain  from  the  Indians,  and  consisted  principally  of 
deer  or  bear  meat,  'coon,  ground  hog,  or  'possum, 
occasionally  some  dried  corn  with  small  wild  fruit, 
such  as  cranberries,  sweetened  with  Indian  sugar, 
but  not  always  free  from  hair  or  feathers.     My  bed- 


198         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

stead  was  two  saw  horses  covered  with  boards  ;  my 
bed  of  deer  or  bear  skins,  my  pillow  a  calico  sack 
filled  with  dry  grass,  and  the  covering  my  blanket 
or  cloak.  My  time  was  occupied  in  preaching 
on  Sabbath,  teaching  during  the  week,  and  doc- 
toring at  night.  My  medical  skill  Avas  principally 
in  treating  children  for  the  croup,  to  which  they 
were  more  or  less  subjected  in  the  fall  and  spring. 
But  were  there  no  physicians  among  them  ?  They 
had  what  they  called  medicine  men,  who  claimed 
supernatural  skill,  but  were  as  destitute  of  medical 
science  as  they  were  of  common  sense.  But  they 
were  not  the  greatest  humbugs  in  the  world.  The 
greatest  humbug  is  the  professional  man  among 
the  whites,  who  claims  to  be  an  "  Indian  doctor."  If 
he  has  any  merit  as  a  physician,  he  never  obtained  it 
in  an  Indian  wigwam. 

When  it  is  said  that  an  Indian  cannot  be  civilized 
or  Christianized,  I  demur.  If  there  is  any  confidence 
to  be  placed  in  the  power  of  the  Gospel  and  the  tri- 
umph of  the  Cross  of  Christ,  many  of  these  sons  of 
the  forest  have  lived  right,  and  they  have  died  right, 
exclaiming  in  their  last  moments,  Duraw-may-raw- 
dun-traw-mau-rau-squa-hi-ca — Glory  hallelujah,  Jesus 
smiles  and  bids  me  come.  "  Precious  in  the  sight  of 
the  Lord  is  the  death  of  his  saints." 

An  interesting  circumstance  occurred  at  this  mis- 
sion in  1834,  during  my  ministry  at  this  Indian   sta- 


INCONVENIENCES  OF  A  MISSIONARY  LIFE.  199 

tion,  demonstrating  their  fidelity  and  Christian  prin- 
ciple. 

Rev.  L.  B.  Gurley,  the  young  Presiding  Elder, 
had  failed  to  visit  this  charge  until  the  latter  part  of 
the  year.  He  arrived  on  Saturday  evening  quite  un- 
expectedly, and  desired  to  proceed  with  his  quarterly 
services.  The  interpreter  being  absent  visiting  the 
Indian  mission  in  Canada,  it  was  somewhat  doubtful 
whether  anyone  could  be  obtained  whose  services 
would  be  acceptable.  The  congregation  having  as- 
sembled, they  were  informed  that  Mr.  Cotter  would 
officiate  as  interpreter.  To  this  they  objected.  Mr. 
Gurley  tried  to  persuade  them  to  become  reconciled, 
as  this  was  the  best  that  could  be  done,  as  Mr.  Cotter 
was  the  only  interpreter  on  hand.  They  shook  their 
heads,  giving  an  unusual  grunt,  and  stating  their  ob- 
jections, that  "  this  quadroon  Indian  is  no  good  ;  he 
drink  fire-water  and  get  cochosa  (that  is  he  would  get 
drunk)  and  we  no  hear  him  preach."  The  Elder 
said  that  he  would  do  the  preaching,  and  the  inter- 
preter would  only  repeat  to  them  what  he  said. 
Again  they  shook  their  heads,  giving  another  unusual 
grunt,  and  said  to  Mr.  Gurley,  "He  no  plead  any 
more  for  this  man  Cotter.  They  were  determined 
not  to  drink  clean  water  out  of  a  dirty  cup."  The 
services  were  concluded  with  an  interesting  conver- 
sational meeting,  which  was  quite  satisfactory  to  the 
new  Elder,  who  admired  their  Christian  character 


200  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

and  abhorrence  of  intemperance.  Mr.  Cotter  was 
no  doubt  interested  in  their  zeal  as  to  intemperance, 
but  concluded,  however,  that  their  objections  and 
remarks  in  regard  to  himself  were  somewhat  per- 
sonal. 

The  Indian  question  is  a  problem  which  is  not 
easily  solved,  but  would  it  not  be  a  better  policy,  as 
well  as  more  humane,  for  Congress  to  appropriate 
means  to  civilize  and  Christianize  them,  than  to  keep 
a  standing  army  to  annihilate  them. 

Where  did  these  Indians  go?  The  Delawares 
formerly  of  Marion  Co.,  ceeded  their  reservation  to 
Col.  John  McElvain  the  United  States  Commissioner 
at  little  Sandusky,  Ohio,  August  3,  1829,  and  soon 
after  moved  west  of  the  Mississippi  river.  In 
August,  1831,  he  also  negotiated  with  the  Senecas  of 
Lewiston,  and  the  Shawnees  of  Wapakoneta,  and 
they  were  removed  to  a  reservation  in  what  is  now 
now  Kansas,  in  September,  1832.  In  1824  the 
Ottawas  upon  the  Maumee  river  near  Gilead,  now 
Grand  Bapids,  disposed  of  their  claim  and  moved 
west.  The  Ottawas,  Chippewas,  Pottawatomies, 
Wyanclottes,  Shawnees,  Muncies  and  Delawares  had 
ceeded  their  rights  to  the  Fire  Lands  by  their  re- 
respective  chiefs  in  what  is  now  the  city  of  Toledo, 
July  4,  1805,  and  soon  after  settled  in  different 
parts  of  the  State,  a  few  going  to  Michigan  and 
other  Territories. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

MISSISSIPPI    AND    MISSIONARY    WORK. 

At  the  close  of  my  missionary  labors  in  Ohio, 
Canada  and  the  Michigan  Territory,  at  the  Spring- 
field Conference  in  183-1,  I  was  requested  by  the 
Bishop  to  go  west  and  labor  among  the  Sioux  and 
Fox  Indians,  who  were  at  that  time  making  their 
home  and  headquarters  near  Rock  Island,  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Upper  Mississippi.  I  was  also  to 
extend  my  labors  along  the  Mississippi  river,  visiting 
all  the  white  settlements  and  providing  the  scattered 
membership  with  the  means  of  grace ;  and,  as  there 
was  no  missionary  appropriation,  I  was  expected  to 
defray  my  own  expenses  in  reaching  that  country, 
and  then  trust  God  and  the  good  will  of  the  few 
white  settlements  for  my  support. 

At  that  time  there  were  but  few  white  settlements 
in  what  was  then  the  Northwestern  Territory,  save 
along  the  Mississippi  river,  for  as  yet  the  Northwest- 
ern Territory  was  not  divided  up  into  States  and 
Territories  as  at  present,  but  was  a  vast  wilderness 
extending  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  was  inhab- 
ited principally  by  Indian  tribes.  Even  the  Mormons, 
who  were  the  early  settlers  in  the  far  west,  had  not 
as  vet  emigrated  to  their  new  homes  in  Utah.  And 
(201) 


202        CEUMBS  FKOM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

what  few  white  inhabitants  there  were  between  the 
Mississippi  river  and  the  Rocky  Mountains  were 
merely  squatters  upon  the  government  lands,  and 
were  compelled  to  wait  until  the  public  lands  were 
surveyed  before  they  could  secure  what  was  termed 
a  pre-emption  right. 

I  had  been  assigned  to  the  Medina  Circuit,  Ohio, 
with  the  understanding  that  I  should  remain  in  that 
charge  until  I  could  make  my  arrangements  to  move 
west.  I  returned  to  my  family,  then  at  North  Am- 
herst, Lorain  county,  Ohio,  and  consulted  with  my 
wife  and  her  adopted  parents,  Mr.  Sholes,  and  his 
family,  upon  the  subject. 

Mr.  Sholes  had  been  for  some  time  desiring  to  go 
west,  and  considered  the  Rock  Island  country  a 
favorable  place  in  which  to  locate,  especially  on  the 
Illinois  side  of  the  Mississippi  river.  They  at  once 
consented  to  make  arrangements  to  move,  and  to 
this  end  Mr.  Sholes  would  offer  his  property  for 
sale  and  we  would  dispose  of  what  little  we  had  in 
Amherst.  As  it  would,  however,  require  some  six 
months  or  more  to  get  ready  for  such  a  journey,  I 
now  entered  upon  my  charge,  the  Medina  Circuit, 
and  traveled  upon  this  work  until  the  next  spring. 

This  charge  extended  over  a  part  of  three  counties, 
including  the  most  of  Medina  and  a  part  of  Portage 
county.  As  I  was  alone,  and  the  Lord  seemed  dis- 
posed  to  favor  my   efforts  with  extensive  revivals 


MISSISSIPPI  AND  MISSIONARY  WORK.  203 

wherever  I  went,  and  there  was  a  prospect  of  ac- 
complishing a  great  amount  of  good  during  the 
winter  at  these  protracted  efforts,  I  now  sought  for 
help,  and  employed  a  young  man,  the  Rev.  Austin 
Coleman,  to  travel  with  me.  I  furnished  him  a 
horse  and  paid  him  $20  a  month  for  his  services,  to 
keep  up  the  regular  appointments,  while  I  atcended 
to  my  protracted  meetings  and  building  churches. 

My  colleague  proved  to  be  a  valuable  co-laborer. 
Our  revival  work  continued  throughout  the  entire 
winter,  and  resulted  in  several  hundred  conversions 
and  accessions  to  the  Church.  Especially  did  the 
Lord  pour  out  his  spirit  in  a  wonderful  manner  at 
Yellow  Basin,  Medina,  Akron,  Granger,  Saville,  and 
several  other  places  and  neighborhoods.  And  out  of 
this  number  four  became  active  and  useful  ministers 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  George  Howe, 
M.  D.,  who  was  converted  at  Medina,  will  long  be 
remembered.  For  several  years  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Ohio  Conference,  and  filled  many  of  the  best 
stations  and  occupied  many  important  positions. 
But  whatever  became  of  Lawyer  Tiffany  I  cannot 
say.  For  several  years  he  was  a  very  popular  min- 
ister on  the  Western  Reserve,  a  great  reasoner,  an 
eloquent  speaker  and  a  perfect  masterpiece  in  meet- 
ing, and  in  refuting  the  errors  of  infidelity  and  skep- 
ticism.    At  last  he  emigrated  to  the  far  west. 

In  the  spring  of  1835  Mr.  Sholes  and  myself  to- 


204         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

gether  with  our  families,  Fanny  and  Adelaide 
Allen,  nieces  of  Mrs.  Sholes  and  Mrs.  Gavitt,  com- 
menced arranging  matters  for  our  western  journey. 
Shipping  our  goods  from  North  Amherst  to  Cleve- 
land, and  from  there  by  the  canal  to  Portsmouth, 
Ohio,  and  from  there  on  a  steamboat  to  Eock  Island. 
Leaving  my  family  in  the  care  of  Mr.  Sholes,  I  now 
started  on  horseback  for  Mansfield,  Ohio,  to  see  my 
Presiding  Elder  and  obtain  my  release  from  the 
charge  of  the  Medina  Circuit,  and  a  recommendation 
to  take  with  me  west.  Having  obtained  these,  I 
now  started  for  Portsmouth,  traveling  day  and  night 
hoping  to  reach  there  in  time  to  accompany  my 
family.  The  last  night  of  my  journey  led  me 
through  Chillicothe,  and  as  the  inhabitants  of  the 
place  appeared  to  be  locked  up  in  slumber,  I  con- 
cluded to  slack  up  and  let  my  horse  walk  through 
the  town  and  get  some  rest,  as  I  felt  I  was  safe  from 
all  harm  in  such  a  quiet  city.  All  at  once  a  large 
man  sprang  out  from  an  alley,  and  seizing  my  horse 
by  the  bridle,  demanded  my  money.  I  said  that  he 
could  have  all  that  I  had  if  he  so  desired,  as  I  had 
only  fifty  cents  left;  that  I  was  a  Methodist  minis- 
ter making  my  way  to  Portsmouth,  hoping  to  meet 
some  friends  before  they  shipped  for  the  far  west ; 
and  if  he  had  any  doubts  as  to  my  profession,  I 
would  show  him  my  Bible  and  hymn  book,  as  there 
was  a  bright  star  light  and  he  could  see  for  himself. 


OUR  PASSAGE  ON  THE  OHIO  AND  MISSISSIPPI.        205 

He  appeared  to  be  somewhat  surprised  at  the  little 
prospect  of  any  money,  and  said  that  I  was  not  the 
person  he  was  looking  for,  and  I  might  pass  on.  My 
horse  having  rested  some,  I  was  soon  out  •  of  his 
reach,  and  more  than  thankful  for  my  Bible,  which 
had  served  me  better  than  a  revolver.  This  was  a 
new  kind  of  weapon,  the  merits  of  which  he  appeared 
to  have  no  desire  to  contest.  I  must  admit  I  had  some 
trouble  in  my  throat,  and  palpitation  of  the  heart, 
and  took  no  pleasure  in  the  midnight  introduction. 
I  still  believe  my  Bible  made  a  favorable  impression 
upon  his  mind,  or  I  might  have  fared  worse. 

OUR    PASSAGE  DOWN   THE    OHIO   AND  UP    THE  MISSISSIPPI. 

We  were  one  week  and  three  days  on  our  way  to 
Rock  Island,  and  late  in  the  afternoon  our  goods 
were  landed  on  the  river  bank  not  far  from  Fort 
Stevenson.  What  to  do  with  them  was  the  first 
question.  We  were  among  strangers,  and  in  what  is 
now  the  great  city  of  Rock  Island.  We  had  no  house 
or  home,  and  at  that  day  there  were  bat  few  people 
in  the  place,  and  not  a  house  to  rent.  After  search- 
ing some  time  to  find  a  place  where  we  could  store 
our  goods,  Mr.  Case  informed  us  that  there  was  an 
empty  log  house  a  short  distance  up  the  river  which 
he  could  let  us  have  for  a  short  time  at  one  dollar 
per  day ;  but  he  warned  us   that  as   this  house  had 


206         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

been  occupied  as  a  whisky  establishment  and  a  resort 
for  the  Indians,  we  might  be  somewhat  annoyed  and 
had  better  secure  the  doors  and  windows  as  best  we 
could  to  prevent  the  Indians  from  coming  in,  as  they 
might  suppose  we  had  liquor  for  sale  as  others  had 
done. 

Getting  all  our  goods  into  the  house,  we  commenced 
to  barricade  and  prepare  for  defense.  Sure  enough, 
the  Indians  came,  and  we  suffered  much  during  the 
night  from  fear.  This  was  our  first  watch  night  in 
the  west,  but  not  entirely  without  prayer.  Like  St, 
Paul,  we  cast  anchor  and  wished  for  the  day.  The 
next  morning  we  informed  the  Indian  agent  of 
the  circumstances  under  which  we  were  placed,  and 
he  sent  out  the  interpreter  to  inform  them  who  we 
were  and  that  they  must  not  disturb  us,  but  keep 
away  from  our  dwelling. 

During  the  day  Colonel  Davenport  was  informed 
of  our  condition,  and  that  we  had  come  to  settle  in 
the  new  country,  and  he  came  to  see  who  we  were 
When  we  had  shown  him  our  papers  and  explained 
our  motive  in  coming,  he  kindly  sent  two  sail  boats 
and  hands  to  remove  our  goods,  and  assigned  us  a 
very  comfortable  log  dwelling  on  the  island ;  and  to 
make  our  circumstances  more  comfortable,  he  furn 
ished  us  with  a  cow  and  many  other  conveniences, 
and  remained  a  warm  and  abiding  friend  until  the 
day  of  his  death. 


DAVENPORT  AS    A    CITY.  207 

The  ground  where  the  city  of  Davenport  is  now 
located  was  first  secured  by  a  squatter's  right.     Mr. 
Laclare,  a  member  of  the  Black  Hawk  nation,  had 
settled  in  this  place  on  Government  land  and  had  se- 
cured his  right  by  pre-emption,  erecting  a  small  log 
house  in  which  he  lived  until  this  section  of  the  coun- 
try was  surveyed  and  the  public  lands  offered  for 
sale.  This  log  house  was  the  first  building  in  Daven- 
port.    Soon  after  this,  Col.  Davenport  bought  a  half 
interest  in  this  pre-emption  claim,  and  now  became 
a  partner  with  Mr.  Laclare,  the  town  being  named 
after  Davenport.    In  1835  Captain  Sholes  purchased 
one-half  of  Colonel  Davenport's  interest  in  the  place, 
thus  becoming  a  stockholder  with  them ;  and  during 
this  year  in  company  with  myself,  erected  a   very 
comfortable  frame  house  on  his  part  of  the  village, 
being  the  second  building  ever  erected  in  this  place. 
In  this  house  I  preached  the  first  sermon,  formed  the 
first  class  and  established  the  first  Sabbath  School  in 
what  is  now  the  great  city  of  Davenport. 

In  1836  Mr.  Sholes  became  somewhat  dissatisfied 
with  the  country,  and  sold  out  his  interest  and  re- 
turned to  Ohio  and  settled  in  Columbus,  where  he 
lived  and  died,  and  where  Mrs.  Sholes  is  still  living, 
pleasantly  situated.  Captain  Stanton  Sholes  was  a 
consistent  member  of  the  Methodist  Church.  He 
made  his  house  a  home  for  the,  early  itinerant  minis- 
ters, contributed  to  their  support  and  to  all  the  be- 


208        CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

nevolent  institutions  of  the  Church,  and  in  1832  built 
the  first  frame  church  in  North  Amherst,  Lorain 
Count}7",  Ohio,  principally  out  of  his  own  means.  He 
died  as  he  lived,  and  has  entered  upon  his  re- 
ward, but  not  without  leaving  upon  the  minds  of  his 
many  friends  the  impression  of  his  excellence,  not 
only  as  a  brave  and  worthy  officer  in  the  defense  of 
his  country  in  1812,  but  as  a  neighbor  and  as  a 
Christian,  who  at  an  early  day  contributed  largely 
in  planting  Methodism  in  Lorain  County,  Ohio. 

EXTENT    OF   MY    LABORS. 

My  missionary  work  in  the  Northwest  was  not  con- 
fined to  Davenport  alone,  although  this  place  was  my 
home  and  headquarters.  I  traveled  from  the  Missouri 
State  line  to  St.  Anthony's  Falls,  now  in  Minne- 
sota, preaching  in  all  the  towns  and  hunting  up  all 
the  white  settlements  along  the  west  side  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi river,  and  so  far  back  in  the  country  as  I 
could  learn  of  any  white  inhabitants.  During  this 
year  I  preached  in  Burlington  in  a  log  house  owned 
by  Mr.  Koss  to  all  the  membership  said  to  be  within 
five  miles.  It  was  seldom  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
spending  a  night  in  a  house.  Most  of  the  time  I 
camped  out  on  the  wide  prairie,  carrying  my  pro- 
visions with  me  in  my  saddle  bags,  and  occasionally 
supplying  my  wants  from  the  strawberries  which 
were  abundant  on  the  open  prairies.     I  made  the 


RETURNING  TO  OHIO  AND  CONFERENCE.       209 

round  every  four  weeks,  preaching  to  the  soldiers 
stationed  at  the  garrison  on  Kock  Island,  and  also  in 
the  afternoon  at  Davenport  and  Rockingham  in  the 
house  of  John  Sullivan,  Esq.  Colonel  Davenport 
and  General  Taylor,  afterwards  President  of  the 
United  States,  were  among  my  hearers  on  the 
island,  and  contributed  to  my  support,  and  also  many 
of  the  soldiers,  all  of  whom  were  warm  and  abiding 
friends. 

My  missionary  work  among  the  Indians  did  not 
prove  as  successful  as  I  could  have  wished.  I  had 
the  confidence  and  good  will  of  many  of  the  chiefs, 
especially  of  Black  Hawk  and  Keokuk.  The  whisky 
influence  was  very  pernicious.  An  old  man  by  the 
name  of  Leach  kept  a  drinking  establishment  and 
used  all  his  influence  against  any  moral  or  religious 
improvement  among  the  Indians,  lest  it  might  affect 
his  business.  But  with  all,  the  Lord  was  pleased  to 
own  my  labors,  and  I  trust  that  much  good  was  ac- 
complished in  the  early  planting  of  Methodism  in  the 
Northwestern  territory,  and  my  missionary  labors 
among  these  children  of  the  forest. 

RETURNING    TO    OHIO    AND    CONFERENCE. 

In  the  latter  part  of  August,  1835,  I  started  to  at- 
tend the  session  of  my  conference  in  Ohio.     Leaving 
my  family  on  Rock  Island  in  the  care  of  their  friends, 
I  returned  by  way  of  Chicago,  principally  by  stage  ; 
14 


210         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

and,  as  there  were  no  railroads  in  that  day,  I  trav- 
eled from  there  by  water  across  Lake  Michigan, 
around  to  Detroit,  Michigan,  and  from  there  across 
Lake  Erie  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  from  thence  by 
stage  to  the  seat  of  the  conference. 

At  the  close  of  this  session  I  made  my  arrange- 
ments for  my  homeward  trip.  Having  tried  the  river 
route,  stage  and  lake  route,  and  the  often-repeated 
accidents  from  fire  and  explosion,  I  concluded  that 
the  best  and  the  cheapest  route  would  be  to  return 
by  land.  Having  $3,000  in  gold  to  take  with  me, 
and  having  some  knowledge  of  the  new  and  unset- 
tled country  I  would  have  to  pass  through,  infested 
with  thieves  and  robbers,  to  prevent  all  suspicion  I 
purchased  a  two-horse  wagon  and  a  fine  span  of 
horses,  and  engaged  Abraham  Rice,  of  Amherst, 
Lorain  County,  Ohio,  a  good  Methodist  brother,  to 
furnish  a  third  horse  and  to  do  the  teaming.  Stopping 
at  Granville,  Licking  County,  Ohio,  to  visit  my  par- 
ents, I  purchased  of  Mr.  "Wright,  a  tanner,  fifty 
bushels  of  cow's  hair,  at  the  cost  of  $2.50,  which 
would  meet  a  ready  sale  in  the  far  "West,  for  plaster- 
ing purposes,  and  buried  my  money  in  the  hair,  in 
the  middle  of  the  wagon,  in  case  the  fore  and  hind 
parts  should  be  searched  by  those  who  were  search- 
ing for  plunder.  I  then  informed  my  family  at 
Rock  Island,  by  letter,  of  my  route,  of  the  contents 
of  my  load,  and  of  the  brother  who  was  to  accom- 


RETURNING  HOME  TO  ROCK  ISLAND.  211 

pany  me,  and  told  them  I  should  return  home  as 
soon  as  possible. 

RETURNING    HOME    TO   ROCK    ISLAND. 

Having  equipped  ourselves  for  our  journey,  on 
Monday  morning,  the  first  week  in  October,  we 
started.  As  we  passed  through  the  town  of  Spring- 
field, the  constable  was  offering  a  horse  for  sale  at 
auction.  Some  one  had  bid  $10,  and  in  passing 
I  bid  SI 2.  No  sooner  said  than  the  horse  was 
struck  off  to  me.  I  returned,  paid  the  money,  took 
the  receipt,  and  started  with  my  horse,  and  soon  af- 
ter came  up  with  my  teamster.  Two  days  after  this 
as  we  stopped  to  feed,  my  best  horse  in  the  team 
was  taken  sick.  We  remained  at  this  place  a  few 
days,  doctoring  the  horse,  hoping  for  the  best,  but 
with  little  or  no  improvement.  I  then  made  arrange- 
ments with  a  farmer  to  take  the  horse,  with  the  un- 
derstanding that  if  it  died  no  charges  should  be 
made,  but  if  he  lived  I  was  to  pay  all  expenses. 
But  this  was  the  last  I  ever  heard  of  the  horse.  The 
buying  of  the  Springfield  horse  appeared  somewhat 
providential  as  he  now  supplied  the  place  of  the  sick 
one.  We  started  again  on  our  journey,  but  before 
we  reached  Indianapolis  my  Springfield  horse,  in 
crossing  a  pole  bridge,  had  sprained  one  of  his  fore 
legs,  and  we  now  had  to  dispose  of  him  as  best  we 
could,  and  supply  the  place  with  the  one  I  had  been 


212         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

riding.  However,  the  next  day  I  was  enabled  to  pur- 
chase a  valuable  black  horse  at  a  reasonable  price, 
and  have  a  horse  to  ride  as  before.  He  proved  to  be 
a  splendid  animal;  but  before  we  reached  the  Illinois 
State  line  he  was  taken  sick  with  the  botts,  and  we 
were  again  delayed  several  days  in  attending  to  him, 
and  now  in  the  third  week  of  our  journey,  the  worst 
and  most  dangerous  part  was  yet  to  be  accomplished. 
I  confess  I  became  somewhat  discouraged;  but  I 
was  too  far  from  home,  or  from  where  I  had  started, 
to  retreat  or  take  any  other  route.  My  teamster, 
being  accustomed  to  hardships,  concluded  we  were 
doing  as  well  as  could  be  expected  for  a  new  country 
and  the  little  grain  we  could  obtain  for  our  horses, 
and  encouraged  me  to  hope  that  the  remainder  of 
our  journey  might  be  more  favorable. 

Having  passed  Peoria,  we  obtained  all  the  infor- 
mation we  could  as  to  the  best  and  safest  route  to 
to  Rock  Island;  and  now  commenced  bearing  to  the 
Northwest,  hoping  to  find  a  main  traveled  road  lead- 
ing toward  the  Mississippi  River.  We  knew  that  the 
nearer  we  approached  this  great  commercial  thor- 
oughfare the  more  thickly  the  country  would  be  in- 
habited, and  the  better  we  should  be  protected  from 
thieves  and  robbers;  and  also  have  better  accommo- 
dations for  ourselves  and  horses.  However,  in  this 
we  were  somewhat  disappointed.  The  third  day  we 
found  ourselves  among  swamps  and  swales,  without 


RETURNING  HOME  TO  ROCK  ISLAND.  213 

any  definite  traveled  road ;  and  the  best  thing  we 
could  do  was  to  follow  along  where  the  grass  was 
broken  down.  "We  spent  the  day  as  best  we  could 
without  ever  seeing  a  house  or  a  single  human  being. 
Just  before  night  we  passed  over  a  medium  sized 
stream  and  came  in  sight  of  a  log  hut  standing 
in  a  grove  of  small  timber.  The  evening  was  fine, 
and  there  was  a  prospect  of  a  beautiful  star-light 
night  favorable  for  camping  out,  or  otherwise.  I  re- 
quested my  teamster  to  halt  and  remain  where  he 
was  while  I  should  go  and  see  "how  the  land  lay," 
and  whether  we  could  be  accommodated  over  night. 

Entering  this  log  shanty  I  found  five  miserable 
looking  human  beings  sitting  on  the  ground  floor, 
around  a  pot,  eating  what  I  supposed  to  be  their 
supper;  not  a  female  was  to  be  seen;  there  were  guns 
and  dogs  in  the  corner  of  the  room,  and  bed  clothes, 
hanging  over  head.  From  their  appearance  and 
motions  I  was  well  satisfied  who  and  what  they 
were,  and  the  purpose  for  which  they  had  located  in 
this  secluded  place.  Here  they  could  commit  their 
midnight  crimes  without  detection,  and  no  one  on 
this  route  would  ever  return  to  report  their  bloody 
deeds. 

My  first  inquiry  was  to  know  how  many  families 
and  teams  they  could  accommodate? 

There  was  no  difficulty  as  to  that,  they  could 
keep  as  many  as  might  come. 


214         CKUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

"  Then  finish  your  suppers,"  said  I,  "  and  I  will 
go  out  and  report." 

Stepping  to  my  teamster  I  informed  him  of  our 
unfortunate  condition ;  and  told  him  that  he  must 
escape  as  rapidly  as  possible,  and  keep  the  Northern 
star  before  him,  and  not  stop  until  his  horses  gave 
out,  or  he  was  sure  that  he  was  out  of  all  danger, 
and  I  would  return  and  divert  them  until  he  could 
start  and  be  well  advanced,  and  then  I  would  try 
and  escape,  if  possible ;  if  not,  that  he  was  to  take 
the  money  to  my  wife. 

On  entering  the  hut  again,  I  inquired  "  how  they 
could  arrange  matters  for  the  night,  and  if  they 
could  provide  for  so  many  horses."  But  this  kind 
of  talk  did  not  interest  them  in  the  least.  They  ap- 
peared to  be  much  excited,  and  one  of  them  now 
stood  guarding  the  door.  But  watching  my  op- 
portunity until  he  was  called  aside  and  all  were  col- 
lected in  a  group  in  one  corner  of  the  room,  in  close 
conversation,  I  was  out  and  on  my  horse,  and  under 
headway.  They  now  commenced  firing,  and  pur- 
suing with  their  guns  and  dogs.  My  horse  being  well 
quickened  by  the  report  of  their  guns  and  the  barking 
of  their  dogs,  by  one  of  which  he  was  several  times 
well  nigh  thrown,  I  was  soon  out  of  their  reach,  and 
when  the  last  dog  gave  out  and  turned  back,  I 
thanked  God  and  took  courage.  I  still  kept  the 
star  before  me,  and  at  a  late  hour  of  the  evening,  I 


RETURNING  HOME  TO  ROCK  ISLAND.  215 

caine  in  sight  of  the  wagon,  and  by  the  star-light  re- 
cognized the  white  cover.  As  I  rode  up  I  called  a 
halt.  Brother  Kice  was  much  surprised  to  see  me, 
as  he  had  heard  the  report  of  their  guns  and  the 
baying  of  their  dogs,  and  could  not  conceive  how  it 
was  possible  I  could  escape. 

Soon  after  we  came  to  a  small  stream,  where  we 
halted.  I  rode  along  the  bank  hoping  to  find  a 
place  where  we  could  cross,  and  at  last  discovered  a 
trail  leading  down  the  bank,  where  the  grass  ap- 
peared broken  down  as  if  some  one  had  recently 
passed.  I  called  to  Mr.  Rice  to  come  on,  as  I  had 
found  a  place  where  I  thought  we  could  ford  the 
stream.  At  that  a  voice  was  heard  from  the  other 
side: 

"Who  is  there?" 

This  produced  a  wonderful  shock  upon  our  nerves, 
fearing  it  might  be  those  inhuman  wretches  from 
whom  we  had  escaped;  but  we  finally  concluded  the 
voice  sounded  more  like  that  of  some  one  lost.  I 
now  rode  back  and  halloed  "  who's  there?" 

"  My  name  is  Hall,"  cried  he. 

"  What  are  you  doing  over  there  at  this  time  of 
night?" 

He  replied  he  had  been  out  on  a  hunting  excur- 
sion and  was  belated  on  his  way  home. 

"  And  now  who  are  you?" 

"  My  name  is  Gavitt." 


216        CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

"  Are  you  from  Ohio  ?" 

"  1  am." 

"  Are  you  a  Methodist  minister  ?" 

"  I  am." 

"  Is  your  name  Elnathan  C.  Gavitt?" 

"  That  is  my  name." 

"  I  am  well  acquainted  with  you,  and  have  heard 
you  preach  in  Ohio." 

"  Can  you  cross  the  stream  ?"  said  I. 

He  plunged  in,  and  was  soon  by  my  side. 

After  passing  the  usual  compliments,  and  relat- 
ing the  circumstances  which  had  brought  us  together 
at  that  late  hour,  the  next  question  I  asked  him  was, 
"  Where  do  you  live,  and  what  has  brought  you  into 
this  wilderness?" 

He  said  he  had  been  a  Mormon  minister,  and 
when  they  were  driven  out  of  Missouri  he  preferred 
living  with  his  own  family,  and  had  sought  this 
secluded  place  away  from  all  white  inhabitants,  on  a 
wild  and  extensive  prairie. 

"  Can  we  find  our  way  out  from  this  point,  to  a 
road  leading  to  Rock  Island  ? "  I  inquired. 

"  Go  home  with  me,  and  I  will  put  you  on  the 
right  road,"  said  he. 

"  How  far  do  you  suppose  it  is  to  your  place  ?" 

"Perhaps  six  or  eight  miles." 

"  Can  you  find  the  way  from  this  point  ?" 

"  I  am  well  acquainted  with  all  this  country,  and 


RETURNING  HOME  TO  ROCK  ISLAND.  217 

in  the  morning  we  shall  have  no  trouble  in  finding1 
the  way  home." 

On  reaching  his  humble  dwelling  his  kind  lady 
was  as  much  pleased  as  her  husband  had  been  to 
see  me,  having  been  a  member  of  my  charge  in 
Ohio,  and  never  having  united  with  the  Mormons. 

When  I  first  knew  Mr.  Hall  he  was  a  practicing 
physician,  and  an  acceptable  member  of  the 
Church;  but  he  had  been  led  away,  as  others  had 
been,  by  the  early  Mormon  influence.  Polygamy, 
however,  did  not  accord  well  with  the  Doctor's 
views,  or  family  relations.  One  of  the  high  priests 
claimed  his  wife  and  was  determined  to  have  her 
according  to  the  usages  of  the  Mormon  Church;  and 
the  only  way  to  escape  the  peril  was  to  flee  to  the 
wilderness,  or  some  secluded  place  on  the  prairie. 

Having  remained  with  them  a  few  days,  resting 
and  recruiting  our  horses,  the  Doctor  piloted  us  out 
and  placed  us  upon  a  more  direct  route  to  Rock 
Island. 

The  next  morning,  after  camping  out  over  night, 
we  saw  a  man  riding  towards  us  in  great  haste,  and 
now  concluded  there  was  trouble  ahead  and  that  the 
Indians  were  pursuing  the  whites.  When  he  came 
up,  I  requested  him  to  stop  and  inform  us  if  there 
was  any  danger  ahead,  and  if  so  what  it  was.  He 
said  there  was,  and  that  we  would  soon  find  it    out. 

"  Pray  tell  us  what  it  is." 


218         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

"  Well,  if  I  must,  then  I  must.  The  fact  is,  I  have 
been  to  mill,  and  they  have  stolen  my  grist,  and  now 
they  are  running  me  for  the  bag.  I  have  no  time 
to  stop,   so  good  bye." 

When  he  left  we  were  .thankful  we  had  escaped 
one  more  scoundrel;  and  that  with  no  preventing 
Providence,  one  day  more  would  finish  our  long 
and  tedious  journey  of  more  than  six  weeks,  amidst 
friends  and  foes,  mud  and  storm. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

BANDITTI  OF  NORTHERN  ILLINOIS. 

Mr.  Borney,  who  was  among  the  early  pioneers  of 
Rock  Island  and  Northwestern  Illinois,  gives  a  very 
satisfactory  account,  in  his  published  work,  of  the 
band  of  robbers  from  which  we  had  so  providential- 
ly escaped,  Grant  Redding,  and  his  accomplices, 
located  on  what  he  called  "  Devil's  Creek,"  and  the 
many  depredations  which  they  had  committed. 

I  now  propose  to  give  a  brief  account,  which  may 
not  be  altogether  uninteresting,  of  the  repeated 
crimes  committed  in  this  western  country  at  that 
early  day. 

MURDER  OF  MILLER,  AND  LIECY,  HIS  SON-IN-LAW. 

In  1845,  Mr.  Miller  emigrated  from  the  southern 
part  of  Ohio  to  the  northwestern  part  of  Illinois ; 
and  gave  notice,  that  he  would  like  to  purchase  a 
large  and  well  improved  farm  and  could  pay  the 
money  for  the  same.  This  was  a  sufficient  notice  to 
all  the  raiders  of  the  Northwest.  On  the  night  of 
the  10th  of  May,  while  they  were  asleep,  three  men 
entered  the  house  of  Mr.  Miller  and  his  son-in-law. 
The  first  man,  as  he  entered  the  room,  opened  his 
dark  lantern,  the   light  reflecting  upon  Mr.    Miller, 

(219) 


220         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

and  Lieoy  being  aroused  and  seeing  the  assassin, 
they  sprang  to  the  floor,  and  now  the  work  of  death 
commenced.  With  a  desperate  effort,  Mr.  Miller 
succeeded  in  throwing  his  antagonist  out  of  the 
house,  and  was  about  to  close  the  door,  when  one  of 
the  robbers  pierced  his  heart  with  a  long  bowie 
knife,  and  he  fell  dead  upon  the  floor.  Mr.  Liecy,  with 
almost  superhuman  strength,  had  his  antagonist 
down  on  the  floor,  and  would  soon  have  choked 
him  to  death,  but  the  cries  of  the  assassin  brought 
one  of  the  company  to  his  assistance,  and  Mr.  Liecy 
was  stabbed  in  the  side.  He  rallied  at  once  and 
pursued  the  one  who  had  stabbed  him,  but  was  shot, 
and  sank  to  the  floor.  But  such  were  the  screams 
and  shrieks  of  the  terrified  women,  that  the  murder- 
ers had  no  time  to  look  for  money,  and  fled  without 
accomplishing  more  than  the  death  of  their  victims. 
Mr.  Liecy  lived  long  enough  to  tell  his  sufferings, 
and  to  identify  the  man  who  had  shot  him,  and  the 
other  murderers. 

These  men  were  traced  to  Nauvoo,  and  two  of 
them  were  apprehended,  William  and  Stephen 
Hodges.  They  were  convicted  and  executed.  But 
while  they  were  yet  in  jail  awaiting  their  execution 
Erwin  Hodges,  their  brother,  threatened  the  Mor- 
mon Church,  and  swore  that  if  Brigham  Toung  did 
not  send  men  enough  to  destroy  the  jail  and  release 
his  brothers,  he  would  denounce  the  whole  Mormon 


MURDER  OF  MILLER  AND  LIECY.  221 

Church,  and  expose  all  of  their  iniquity.  However, 
he  had  but  little  time  to  execute  these  alarming 
threats,  as  on  the  same  day,  before  midnight,  he 
was  murdered  in  the  streets  of  Nauvoo,  and  no  ef- 
fort was  made  to  find  out  who  had  done  the  horrible 
deed.  Soon  after,  Brigham  Young  stated  to  his 
followers  in  a  public  discourse  that  they  had  no 
business  to  inquire  who  killed  Erwin  Hodges,  and 
that  the  members  of  the  Church  should  mind  their 
own  matters. 

Mrs.  Lydia  Hodges,  wife  of  Amos  Hodges,  who 
was  in  attendance  on  the  day  of  the  trial  of  these 
Hodges,  as  the  main  witness  for  the  defense,  sent 
for  one  of  their  counsel,  and  when  he  arrived  burst 
into  tears  and  exclaimed,  "  Must  I  go  into  court?" 

"  Mrs.  Hodges,  if  you  can  swear  the  boys  were  at 
home  the  night  of  the  murder,  then  your  testimony 
will  be  very  important.  Can  you  do  that?"  asked 
the  counsel. 

"  They  were  not  at  home  that  night.  They  left 
in  company  with  Tom  Brown,  and  said  they  were 
going  over  into  Iowa;  and  they  did  not  return  until 
morning." 

"  Did  they  say  anything  about  the  murder  ?" 

"  They  said  they  had  a  desperate  fight,  and  were 
fearful  they  had  killed  two  men." 

"  What  is  their  business  here  in  Nauvoo?" 

"  Robbery  is  the  only  thing." 

"Who  are  engaged  with  them?" 


222         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

"  Ail  their  father's  family,  and  the  leaders  in  the 
Mormon  Church  encourage  them  and  share  with 
them  in  the  spoils." 

"Are  you  knowing  to  all  this,  or  is  it  a  mere  ru- 
mor?" 

"  I  know  it  to  be  so,  and  am  now  brought  here  to 
swear  them  clear.  They  have  always  been  kind  to 
me,  and  yet  I  cannot  swear  my  soul  to  eternal  per. 
dition  and  destroy  all  my  hopes  of  happiness,  both 
here  and  hereafter,  to  save  them.  Must  I  go  to 
Court?" 

"I  cannot  say,  Mrs.  Hodges,  what  may  be  re- 
quired ?" 

"  I  cannot  and  I  will  not  go.  I  cannot  swear  for 
them,  and  I  will  not  swear  against  them." 

Such  is  the  statement  of  one  who  professes  to 
know  Tom  Brown,  who  was  the  leading  spirit,  and 
the  one  who  murdered  Mr.  Miller,  and  who  fled  to 
parts  unknown,  and  escaped  the  gallows. 

JEREMIAH  STRAWN  AND  THE  MINISTER. 

In  1845,  three  men  forced  their  way  into  the 
house  of  Mr.  Strawn  about  midnight.  One  of  them, 
with  a  loaded  revolver  in  his  hand  approached  the 
bedside  of  Mr.  Strawn  and  his  wife,  and  threatened 
them  with  instant  death  if  they  made  any  resist- 
ance or  gave  the  least  alarm,  and  demanded  their 
money. 


JEREMIAH  STRAWN  AND  THE  MINISTER,  223 

"  What  I  have,"  said  the  old  gentleman,  "you  will 
find  in  that  bureau  drawer." 

"  You  have  more  than  this,"  exclaimed  one  of  the 
company. 

"  Here  is  only  one  hundred  dollars  and  these  two 
old  watches.     They  are  not  of  much  use  to  us." 

"  Come,  old  man,  we  must  have  more  than  this,  or 
we  will  kill  you,  and  set  fire  to  your  house  and  roast 
the  whole  of  you." 

"  That  is  all  I  have.  If  you  kill  me,  you  will  find 
no  more." 

Jeremiah  Strawn,  of  Illinois,  was  the  brother  of 
Joel  Strawn,  who  settled  in  Lower  Sandusky,  Ohio, 
at  an  early  day,  and  who  was  the  father  of  Mrs. 
Emmerson,  formerly  my  brother  Asa  Gavitt's  wife, 
and  is  well  known  in  Fremont.  Mr.  Strawn  was 
supposed  to  be  immensely  rich,  having  several  thou- 
sand acres  of  the  very  best  prairie  land  on  which  he 
grazed  his  numerous  herds  of  cattle,  and  making 
large  sales  every  month.  It  was  natural  for  these 
robbers  to  suppose  he  had  more  money  on  hand  than 
he  had  represented. 

"  Well,"  said  one  of  the  assassins,  "before  we  take 
your  word  for  it,  we  will  look  still  further.  And 
whom  have  you  in  this  room  ? " 

"A  Methodist  clergymen,"  said  Mr.  Strawn.  "  I 
hope  you  will  not  trouble  him ;  he  is  a  poor  man, 
with  an  afflicted  family,  on  his  way  home  from  his 


224         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

Quarterly  meeting,  and  they  have  paid  him  but  lit- 
tle money." 

"  A  Methodist  preacher  ?  We  will  soon  dispatch 
him.  It  is  no  crime  to  kill  a  preacher,  especially  a 
Methodist  preacher.  They  are  sure  of  heaven,  and 
we  can  soon  relieve  him  of  his  poverty.  What  say 
you,  boys ;  shall  I  wind  up  his  ministry  or  let  him 
still  preach  and  pray  for  such  sinners  as  we  are?" 

So  saying  he  entered  the  room.  "  See  here,  Mr. 
Preacher,  I  want  your  money !" 

He  said  he  had  but  little,  and  was  now  on  his 
way  home,  to  his  family  who  were  destitute  of 
almost  everything  to  eat. 

"  JSTo  parley  as  to  poverty.  Tell  me  where  your 
money  is,  and  your  watch.  I  never  killed  a  minister 
but  what  had  a  watch.  Come,  be  quick,  or  I  shall 
blow  your  brains  out." 

The  poor  brother,  preferring  to  go  home  to  his 
afflicted  family  than  going  to  heaven  that  night, 
gave  him  his  six  dollars  and  his  watch ;  and  as  the 
assassin  came  out  of  the  room,  he  said  to  those  who 
were  standing  guard  and  waiting  his  return : 

"  See  here,  bo}^s,  this  is  the  best  thing  out.  If  we 
are  arrested  for  robbing  this  old  man  and  preacher, 
all  that  will  be  required  of  us  is  to  plead  insanity, 
for  there  is  not  a  jury  or  a  man  that  would  believe 
for  a  moment  that  any  person  in  his  right  mind 
would  think  of  robbing  a  Methodist  minister  with 


JEREMIAH  STRAWN  AND  THE  MINISTER.  225 

the  expectation  of  finding  any  money.  Poor  fellow, 
these  Methodist  ministers  must  have  pluck  to  preach 
hell  and  damnation  as  they  do  at  camp  meetings, 
and  ride  all  over  creation  and  get  nothing  for  it. 
He  looked  so  innocent  when  he  spoke  of  his  wife 
and  children,  I  was  of  a  mind  to  give  him  back 
his  watch."    , 

However,  this  was  not  done,  as  the  watch  was 
found,  together  with  Col.  Davenport's  gold  watch 
and  chain,  in  the  possession  of  Burch  and  Long  at 
the  time  they  were  captured  at  Lower  Sandusky, 
now  Fremont,  Ohio. 

The  robbers  of  Strawn  having  obtained  every- 
thing of  any  value  to  them,  bade  Mr.  Strawn  and 
his  wife  good  night,  and  hoped  they  might  have 
quiet  and  peaceful  slumbers ;  stating  however,  that 
the  next  time  they  made  him  a  visit  he  must  have 
more  money  on  hand,  as  this  job  had  hardly  paid  ex- 
penses; and  then  they  warned  them  not  to  make  any 
alarm,  or  even  attempt  to  follow  them  as  that  would 
be  instant  death.  They  were  pursued,  however,  the 
next  day  to  Nauvoo,  but  were  so  well  protected  they 
could  not  be  found. 

Mr.  Strawn  gave  it  as  his  opinion,  that  as  there 
was  a  minister  of  the  gospel  at  his  house  who  pleaded 
his  poverty ;  and  as  he  offered  no  resistance,  these 
men  took  it  for  granted  they  were  all  members  of 
the  Church ;  and  hardened  as  they  were,  having  the 
15 


226         CRUMBS  FROM  MT  SADDLE  BAGS. 

fear  of  God,  prevented  them  from  setting  fire  to 
his  house,  or  murdering  him  and  his  family.  How- 
ever he  had  no  desire  for  any  further  experiments  as 
to  their  piety  or  motives. 

MURDER  OF  COL.  DAVENPORT. 

On  the  western  shore  of  Rock  Island,  facing  the 
Iowa  side  of  the  river,  stands  a  beautiful  residence, 
the  home  of  Col.  George  Davenport,  where  he  had 
lived  for  more  than  30  years  as  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  the  Northwestern  Territory.  An  Eng- 
lishman by  birth,  he  had  accumulated  a  handsome 
property  by  honest  business  transactions,  and  was 
loved,  respected  and  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him ; 
and  no  one  supposed  he  would  have  been  harmed. 

On  the  4th  day  of  July,  1845,  all  the  family  had 
gone  over  to  the  city  of  Rock  Island,  on  the  Illinois 
side,  to  attend  the  National  celebration.  Col.  Daven- 
port sat  in  his  parlor,  reading  and  reflecting  upon 
the  goodness  of  Providence  to  him  in  his  old  age. 
Presently  he  heard  a  noise  outside  of  the  house,  and 
upon  starting  to  ascertain  the  cause,  the  door  was 
suddenly  pushed  open  and  three  men  stood  before 
him.  Not  a  word  was  spoken,  but  almost  instantly 
the  foremost  of  the  assassins  discharged  a  revolver 
at  the  old  man.  The  ball  passed  through  the 
left  thigh,  and  as  the  Colonel  turned  to  grasp  his 
cane  which  stood  near  him,  the  three  men  rushed 


MURDER  OF  COL.  DAVENPORT.  227 

upon  him,  blindfolded  him,  pinioned  his  arms  and 
legs,  and  dragged  him  up  a  flight  of  stairs  to  a  closet 
containing  an  iron  safe,  which  they  compelled  him 
to  open.  They  took  the  contents  of  the  safe,  and 
then  dragged  him  into  another  room  and  placed  him 
upon  a  bed  and  demanded  more  money.  The  old 
man  pointed  them  to  a  drawer  in  a  dressing  table 
near  by.  Failing  to  find  anything  of  value,  and  be- 
lieving he  intended  to  deceive  them,  they  flew  at 
him,  and  beat  and  choked  him  until  he  fainted  and 
became  insensible.  They  then  tried  to  restore  him 
to  consciousness  by  dashing  water  in  his  face  and 
pouring  it  down  his  throat,  and  threatened  to  set 
fire  to  his  house  and  fry  him  alive,  unless  he  would 
tell  them  where  the  remainder  of  his  money  was. 
But  failing  to  bring  the  old  gentleman  to,  and  having 
but  little  hope  of  getting  any  more  money,  they 
left  the  house,  having  obtained  $700  in  money,  a 
gold  watch  and  chain,  a  gun,  and  a  few  other  things, 
of  less  value.  With  medical  aid,  the  Colonel  so  far 
recovered  that,  when  his  family  returned,  he  was  able 
to  describe  the  robbers,  and  bidding  them  farewell* 
he  died  that  evening  between  nine  and  ten  o'clock. 

The  circumstances  connected  with  the  murder  of 
Col.  Davenport  were  published  in  all  the  papers;  a 
description  was  given  of  the  men,  and  of  the  gold 
watch,  chain  and  gun,  and  a  large  reward  was  offered 
by   the   family   and    the   community   for   the   cap 


228        CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

ture  of  the  murderers.  They  were  traced  to  JS"au- 
voo,  as  the  others  had  been.  The  whole  country 
was  excited;  and  it  was  the  universal  sentiment  that 
Xauvoo  was  a  rendezevous  for  all  these  murderers 
and  robbers,  and  fears  were  entertained  of  the  en- 
tire destruction  of  the  Mormon  tribe.  This  den  of 
iniquity  suddenly  became  too  hot  for  the  banditti, 
and  they  commenced  to  scatter,  fleeing  to  different 
States  and  Territories,  and  but  few  of  the  gang 
could  be  found.  Old  Grant  Redding,  who  had  his 
house  on  Devil's  Creek,  from  which  we  escaped,  fled 
to  parts  unknown.  John  Long  and  Robert  Burch 
were  traced  into  Ohio  and  were  captured  at  Lower 
Sandusky,  now  Fremont,  and  with  them  was  found 
the  Methodist  preacher's  watch  taken  from  him  at 
the  robbery  of  Strawn,  and  also  Col.  Davenport's 
gold  watch  and  chain,  as  before  stated. 

In  October,  at  the  circuit  term  of  court,  from  the 
best  evidence  that  could  be  obtained,  John  Baxter, 
William  Fox,  John  Long,  Aaron  Long,  Robert 
Burch,  Granville  Young,  Grant  Redding  and  William 
Redding,  were  indicted  as  principals  and  accessories 
in  the  murder  of  Col.  George  Davenport,  of  Rock 
Island,  Illinois.  Out  of  this  number,  John  Long, 
Granville  Young  and  Aaron  Long  were  convicted 
and  executed  at  Rock  Island.  Robert  Burch  broke 
jail,  after  he  had  been  sentenced  to  be  hung,  and 
escaped.     Two  were  sent  to  the  penitentary. 


NAUV00  AND  MY  EXPERIENCES  THERE.      229 

I  now  propose  to  give  my  own  experience  at 
Nauvoo,  and  my  observations  of  Morraonism.  In 
1842,  in  company  with  Martin  Belden,  of  North 
Amherst,  Lorain  Co.,  Ohio,  we  landed  from  a  boat, 
near  Nauvoo,  as  from  low  water  we  could  not  pass 
the  rapids  in  the  Mississippi  river.  Being  acquainted 
with  a  Mr.  C,  a  Mormon  priest,  one  of  the  twelve,  I 
proposed  to  Mr.  Belden  that  we  should  go  and  see 
if  we  could  get  accommodations  with  him  over 
night;  and  as  he  was  a  prominent  man  in  the  place, 
we  soon  found  his  house.  He  appeared  much  pleased 
to  see  us,  but  when  we  made  known  our  errand, 
and  he  learned  that  we  were  not  Mormons,  he  ap- 
peared to  be  disappointed  and  embarrased,  and  hesi- 
tated, as  though  he  knew  not  what  to  say.  To  turn 
us  away  he  could  not  well  do,  as  he  had  often  been 
accommodated  by  our  kindness  and  hospitality  when 
he  was  a  minister  of  another  Church,  in  Ohio. 

At  last  he  consented  that  we  should  remain  with 
him  over  night,  but  more  than  intimated  that  he 
would  have  to  use  some  deception  to  prevent  our  be- 
ing disturbed  of  our  repose,  as  we  were  strangers  in 
the  place.  And  this  proved  to  be  another  watch 
night  with  us,  and  one  not  altogether  without  anxiety 
and  prayer,  as  there  was  a  constant  coming  and 
going  all  night.  But  faithful  to  his  trust,  Mr.  C. 
protected  us  from  all  harm,  by  stating  that  we  were 
green   Mormons  looking  for  a    home.      The  next 


230         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

morning-  our  host  conducted  us  around  the  city  and 
gave  a  view  of  the  new  temple  which  was  but  par- 
tially finished.  He  introduced  us  as  Mormons,  or 
such  as  would  soon  be ;  and  as  silence  was  the  better 
part  of  valor,  we  made  no  reply.  I  left  Mr.  Belden 
in  the  care  of  Mr.  0.  and  started  to  find  Mrs.  Smith, 
who  had  been  a  member  of  my  charge,  in  Ohio.  She 
was  much  pleased  to  see  me  and  said  that  she  was 
surprised  to  learn,  that  morning,  that  Mr.  Belden 
a,nd  myself  were  Mormons,  hunting  for  a  place  to 
live.  "How  did  you  learn  that?"  "By  one  who 
was  at  your  house,  last  night.  He  said  that  Brother 
C  told  him  you  were  a  set  of  greenhorn  Mormon 
preachers  from  Ohio."  However  when  she  learned 
that  we  were  on  our  way  North,  and  expected  to  re- 
turn to  Ohio  soon,  she  wanted  to  know  if  I  could 
not  devise  some  way  for  her  escape  from  Nauvoo, 
without  being  detected,  as  it  would  be  instant 
death  to  be  arrested. 

Unluckily  for  Mrs.  Smith  I  had  known  but  too 
well  the  way  she  deviled  her  husband,  until  she 
got  him  to  join  the  Mormons,  and  go  with  her  to 
Kirkland,  in  Ohio,  where  the  Mormons  started,  and 
-erected  their  first  temple,  before  they  emigrated  to 
Illinois.  "  I  would  advise  you  as  Mr.  Wesley  did  a 
young  man  who  consulted  him  as  to  marrying  a  cer- 
tain young  lady.  '  I  advise  you  not  to  do  it.'  '  But,' 
said  the  young  man,   '  is  she  not  a  member  of  your 


THE  TAVERN  AND  WHAT  OCCURRED  231 

Church  ?  and  if  so,  is  she  not  a  good  woman  V  '  Let 
me  say  to  you  young  man,  God  may  live  with  some 
women,  with  whom  you  and  I  could  not.'  Now  as 
you  are  with  these  latter  day  saints,  my  opinion  is 
they  will  bear  more  with  you  than  vour  friends  in 
Ohio,  and  you  had  better  remain  where  you  are. 
Father  Smith,  I  trust,  has  gone  to  heaven,  if,  at  least 
they  have  any  place  there  for  Mormons.  But  why 
is  it  you  have  no  husband?  I  supposed  every 
woman  here  had  some  kind  of  a  man  to  live  with." 

"I  am  too  old;  they  do  not  want  me,"  she  said. 

"I  am  fearful  that  when  you  die,  St.  Peter  too, 
will  feel  that  way,  if  he  is  as  well  posted  as  to  the 
deviltry  of  Nauvoo  as  I  was  myself  last  night. 

THE  TAVERN  AND  WHAT  OCCURRED. 

Learning  there  would  be  a  boat  on  hand  by  night, 
late  in  the  afternoon  our  host  conducted  us  to  the 
tavern  where  the  boat  was  to  land  and  receive  pas- 
sengers for  Rock  Island.  We  were  first  introduced 
into  the  basement,  or  underground  room.  Here  was 
a  large  crowd  of  men  and  women,  swearing,  drink- 
ing, quarreling  and  gambling.  The  cry  of  murder 
was  heard.  A  gray  headed  man,  partially  drunk 
and  flourishing  a  revolver,  was  stabbed  to  the  heart 
and  expired.  A  general  row  ensued,  and  was  a 
most  fearful  sight  to  behold.  Apprehending  danger 
I  proposed  to  Mr.  Belden  to  go  up  stairs   into  the 


232         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

parlor.  This,  the  guide  said,  would  cost  something. 
I  offered  to  defray  all  expense.  The  landlord  con- 
sented to  admit  us  into  the  room,  if  we  paid  him 
utwo  bits"  apiece,  which  would  be  twenty-five 
cents.  The  money  was  paid,  and  soon  the  colored 
man  was  called  and  we  were  provided  with  a  small 
fire,  the  evening  being  somewhat  damp  and  cold. 
As  we  were  now  in  comfortable  quarters,  we  set 
down  to  rest,  hoping  we  were  free  from  the  rabble 
or  any  further  annoyance.  But  in  this  we  were 
disappointed.  A  man  from  Missouri  had  been  landed 
at  the  Rapids,  and  like  ourseives  was  waiting  for 
the  evening  boat  that  would  come  as  far  as  ISTauvoo 
and  return.  As  this  stranger  entered  the  parlor, 
the  landlord  demanded  of  him  the  two  bits,  which 
he  refused  to  pay.  He  was  now  ordered  out  of  the 
room,  but  refused  to  go.  The  negro  was  called  and 
the  stranger  was  forced  out  of  the  house,  and  now 
there  was  profanity  enough  for  a  regiment.  The 
Missourian  was  a  tall  man,  well  dressed,  and  had  the 
appearance  of  a  gentleman,  and,  as  I  further  learned, 
was  a  doctor  or  a  lawyer,  and  appeared  very  much 
mortified.  At  last  the  boat  arrived,  much  to  our 
host's  pleasure,  as  he  would  soon  be  relieved  of  his 
more  than  unwelcome  charge.  As  he  gave  us  his  hand 
to  bid  us  good  by,  it  trembled  like  a  leaf,  and  he 
begged  us  not  to  betray  him,  as  he  would  have  to 
suffer.     I  said  that  he  need  have  no  fears,  we  would 


THE  TAVERN  AND  WHAT  OCCURRED.  233 

be  as  true  to  him  as  he  had  been  to  us;  and  I  would 
now  say  as  the  boy  did  when  he  was  drowning :  "  If 
the  Lord  would  help  him  out  of  this  scrape,  he 
would  never  ask  him  again."  I  hope  and  trust  in 
God  that  I  may  never  have  to  remain  another  ni  ght 
in  Nauvoo.  But  what  must  a  man  think  of  himself 
and  his  family  to  remain  in  such  a  place  as  this? 

As  we  were  about  to  step  upon  the  boat,  Mr. 
Belden  asked  the  landlord  his  name,  and  from  what 
State  he  came.  He  at  first  refused  to  answer,  but  at 
last  said  his  name  was  Redding. 

"I  supposed,"  said  my  colleague,  "it  was  some 
such  name,  as  I  never  knew  a  man  by  that  name 
who  was  not  a  blackhearted  scoundrel." 

By  this  time  the  landlord  would  have  been  pleased 
had  Mr.  Belden  remained  over  night.  He  probably 
would  have  been  reposing  somewhere  near  Kauvoo 
at  this  time. 

When  we  stood  upon  the  boat  and  were  now  safe 
from  the  infuriated  landlord,  Mr.  Belden  and  the 
Missourian,  being  somewhat  inspired,  delivered  to 
the  crowd  standing  on  the  wharf,  a  free  speech,  in 
which  the  landlord,  Nauvoo  and  Mormonism  were 
the  principal  features;  and  they  received  in  turn  a 
general  outpouring  of  anathemas  and  cursings  from 
the  crowd  on  the  bank  of  the  river  and  wharf,  and 
a  pressing  invitation  for  them  to  remain  over  night, 
which  they    unhesitatingly    declined,  preferring   to 


234         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

pursue  their  journey  rather  than  go  to  heaven  that 
night  from  Nauvoo.  As  for  myself,  I  felt  some- 
what as  the  frogs  while  the  boys  were  pelting  them 
with  clubs,  "This  may  be  fun  for  you,  but  it  is 
death  to  us."  I  was  fearful  the  crowd  would  rush 
upon  the  boat,  and  put  an  end  to  all  such  orators; 
and  when  the  boat  started,  I  was  thankful  to  escape 
in  safety  from  such  a  den  of  iniquity. 

Mormonism  is  a  blot  upon  the  American  people 
and  will  remain  such  and  a  political  curse  to  this 
nation,  as  long  as  its  existence  is  tolerated.  All  its 
abominations  are  in  keeping  with  the  vilest  passions 
of  human  nature,  and  have  been  prominent  features 
of  heathenism,  in  every  age  of  the  world.  And  why 
Congress  permits  this  iniquity  to  exist  with  its  bane- 
ful influence  God  only  knows. 

PROVIDENTIAL  RELIEF. 

Before  I  close  with  the  Northwestern  Territory,  I 
will  refer  to  what  I  considered  to  be  an  act  of  pro- 
vidence, in  relieving  my  embarrassed  circumstances. 

Moving  with  my  family  without  any  missionary 
appropriation  to  the  far  West,  I  had  consumed  about 
all  my  temporal  means,  and  was  dependent  upon 
the  charity  of  my  friends.  I  had  disposed  of  my 
horse  and  borrowed  a  small  amount  of  money,  and 
by  so  doing  was  enabled  to  purchase  a  fractional 
piece  of  land  bordering  on  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi 


PROVIDENTIAL    RELIEF.  235 

river  for  which  I  had  paid  $175.  The  western 
country  at  that  early  day  was  well  supplied  with 
land  speculators,  purchasing  town  sites  along  the 
river.  One  of  these  speculators  made  me  an  offer 
for  my  land  which  I  declined.  The  next  day  he 
called  again  and  offered  me  $5,000,  one  third  in 
money  and  the  remainder  to  be  paid  in  two  years, 
his  note  with  interest,  without  securing  the  pay- 
ment by  a  mortgage.  But  this  he  would  not  do,  as 
he  proposed  to  lay  it  off  into  town  lots  and  sell 
them  in  the  East  and  preferred  not  to  have  any  in- 
cumberance  on  the  land.  I  declined  his  offer,  but 
stated  he  could  have  the  land  for  $5,000  in  money, 
and  that  was  the  best  I  wTould  do,  and  that  he  must 
decide  what  he  would  do  before  he  left,  or  I  might 
change  my  mind.  He  said,  make  out  your  deed 
and  you  shall  have  the  money.  The  next  day  the 
contract  was  completed  and  the  money  received. 
This  did  not  effect  my  piety,  but  it  did  increase  my 
confidence  in  God,  and  his  special  providence,  and 
that  he  would  take  care  of  those  who  took  care  of 
the  interest  of  his  cause.  I  was  more  than  thank- 
ful and  wept  tears  of  joy,  and  said  to  my  wife,  I  can 
leave  you  now  with  a  light  heart  and  penetrate  the 
wilderness  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  have  the 
pleasure  of  knowing  you  have  the  wherewithal  to 
make  yourself  comfortable  should  any  misfortune 
befall  me.    And  mav  I  ever  confide  in  Him  who  has 


236         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

said  for  my  encouragement,   "Lo!  I  am  with  you 
always." 

METHODISM  AT  AN  EARLY  DAY. 

Methodism  was  not  the  child  of  fortune,  or  favor 
at  an  early  day,  and  I  give  the  following  illustration 
of  what  some  ministers  had  to  endure  in  planting 
Methodism  in  a  new  country,  and  especially  among 
infidels  and  scoffers. 

Ned  Forgron  had  settled,  as  a  blacksmith,  in  the 
village  of  Boldersville,  Virginia,  a  community  wherein 
there  was  but  little  moral  or  religious  influence.  He 
was  a  man  of  fine  personal  appearance,  a  firm  consti- 
tution and  power  of  endurance,  and  had  some 
knowledge  of  history  and  political  economy,  which 
gave  him  considerable  influence  in  the  community 
in  which  he  lived.  Mr.  Forgron  was  an  admirer  of 
Thomas  Payne's  writings,  a  decided  enemy  to 
Christianity,  and  especially  to  the  ministry  and 
membership  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 
had  publicly  declared  that  he  intended  to  whip  every 
Methodist  minister  who  passed  through  the  place  or 
by  his  blacksmith  shop  ;  and  this  threat  had  been 
widely  circulated  throughout  the  community.  A  new 
charge  called  the  Vine  Creek  Mission  had  been  es- 
tablished, which  included  the  place  where  Mr.  For- 
gron lived,  and  a  promising  young  man  of  piety  and 
perseverance  had  been  assigned  to  this  new  field  of 


METHODISM  AT  AN  EARLY  DAY.  237 

labor.  He  was  a  man  of  small  stature,  with  a  slender 
constitution,  and  had  been  apprised  of  what  he 
might  suffer  if  he  should  come  in  contact  with  this 
profane  blasphemer,  at  Boldersville.  Yet  as  his 
duty  required  him  to  carry  the  gospel  to  all  classes 
of  human  beings,  dangerous  as  the  attempt 
might  be,  he  still  was  in  hopes  to  escape  Mr.  For- 
gron's  notice.  Such,  however,  was  not  his  good  for- 
tune. As  he  was  about  to  pass  the  blacksmith  shop 
and  was  urging  up  his  horse,  Ned  spied  him  and 
commanded  him  to  stop  and  pay  the  penalty  of  the 
reproach  which  he  had  cast  upon  him.  The  young 
minister  denied  saying  anything  detrimental  as  to 
Mr.  Forgron's  reputation;  and  after  receiving  a  few 
curses,  and  threats  of  what  he  should  suffer  if  he  ever 
passed  through  the  village  again,  he  was  permitted 
to  pass  on  to  his  appointment.  Being  intimidated  by 
Ned's  viciousness,  the  young  brother  concluded  that 
God  didn't  require  him  to  sacrifice  his  life  by  going 
where  there  was  no  law  or  moral  influence  to  pro- 
tect him,  and  that  if  there  was  no  other  route  to  the 
Yine  Creek  appointment,  they  would  have  to  go 
without  preaching. 

At  the  ensuing  Annual  Conference,  he  informed 
his  Presiding  Elder  that  his  call  as  a  missionary  in  a 
new  country  had  expired,  and  that  he  should  not  re- 
turn on  any  condition  whatever.  The  question  now 
with  the  Bishop  and  Cabinet  was,  whom  shall  we  send 


238  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

upon  the  Yine  Creek  mission?  This  work  must  be 
supplied.  It  is  not  in  keeping  with  Methodist  econ- 
omy to  neglect  these  new  fields  of  labor,  however 
hard  or  difficult  they  may  be.  The  Bishop  re- 
quested the  Presiding  Elder  to  provide  a  man  will- 
ing to  undertake  the  work.  At  the  next  Cabinet 
meeting  one  of  the  elders  reported  he  had  found  a 
brother  who  had  no  fears  of  the  infidel  blacksmith  at 
Boldersville,  and  would  take  pleasure  in  going 
upon  such  a  charge.  And  the  name  of  James 
Kobleworth  was  announced  for  the  Yine  Creek 
Mission.  The  brother  soon  prepared  for  his  new  field 
of  labor,  but  not  without  some  anxiety  on  the  part 
of  his  personal  friends.  However,  he  endeavored 
to  quiet  their  fears  by  the  pleasure  which  he  an- 
ticipated in  bearding  the  lion  in  his  den.  Mr.  For- 
gron  soon  heard  of  the  new  preacher,  and  was  pleased 
to  learn  that  he  was  large  and  stout,  and  not 
afraid  of  anything,  not  even  the  Devil  himself.  "  To 
whip  such  a  man  will  be  of  some  credit.  I  will  at- 
tend to  his  case ;  and  he  will  not  wish  to  return 
again  any  more  than  the  young  circuit  rider.  The 
fact  is,  such  men  are  not  wanted,  preaching  their 
hell  fire  and  damnation,  and  getting  the  women 
all  crazy  after  them." 

Mr.  Forgron  learning:  !that  the  minister  would 
pass  by  his  shop  on  Saturday  afternoon,  dismissed 
his   striker    and    seated    himself    at    the    door    of 


METHODISM  AT  AN  EARLY  DAY.  239 

his  shop,  with  Tom.  Paine's  works  as  his  compan- 
ion. It  was  not  long  before  be  heard  the  singing 
of  a  familiar  hymn,  with  a  loud  and  clear  voice,  ring- 
ing through  the  forest: 

"Am  I  a  soldier  of  the  cross, 
A  follower  of  the  Lamb, 
And  shall  I  fear  to  own  his  cause, 
Or  blush  to  speak  his  name?" 

Mr.  Forgron  promptly  seized  the  horse  by  the 
bridle,  and  saluted  the  strange  minister :  "  Hello,  you 
slab-sided  hypocrite,  get  down  from  your  horse  and 
join  me  in  my  devotions,  and  I'll  make  a  man  of 
you  by  the  time  you  get  through  reading  Thomas 
Payne's  testament." 

"  1  have  no  time  to  spare,"  said  Mr.  Nobleworth, 
"as  it  is  getting  late,  and  I  have  some  distance  yet 
to  go." 

"  Do  you  know  that  I  am  Ned  Forgron,  the  black- 
smith, and  that  I  whip  all  the  Methodist  ministers 
that  come  this  way  ?" 

"  I  have  heard  of  you,"  said  the  preacher.  "  I  pre- 
sume you  will  not  insult  strangers  who  are  passing 
through  the  country,  attending  to  their  professional 
duties  ?" 

"  Yes,  you  Methodists  are  a  wonderful  presuming 
set  of  men,"  said  Ned,  "  and  I  presume  to  attend  to 
your  case  before  you  go  any  further.  So  get  down 
from  your  horse." 

"  What  do  you  require  of  me  '?"  said  Mr.   Noble- 


240         CRUMBS  FKOM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

worth.  "  I  should  prefer  to  pass  on  to  my  appoint- 
ment  without  any  difficulty." 

"  In  the  first  place,"  said  Mr.  Forgron,  "  you  must 
quit  preaching,  and  in  the  second  place  you  must 
curse  the  Methodists  wherever  you  go,  and  in  the 
last  place  you  must  read  Tom.  Payne's  Testament, 
and  believe  every  word  he  says." 

"  Mr.  Forgron,"  said  the  preacher,  "your  require- 
ments are  unreasonable,  and  I  will  not  comply  with 
them." 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Ned,  "you  will  have  to  take  a 
licking,  and  before  I  get  through  I  may  beat  the 
willfulness  out  of  you." 

As  Mr.  Nobleworth  saw  no  chance  of  escaping 
difficulty,  he  dismounted. 

"I  now  ask  one  small  favor,  give  me  time  to  take 
my  overcoat  off,  as  it  was  a  present  to  me  by  the 
ladies  on  my  last  Circuit,  and  I  do  not  wish  to 
soil  it." 

"  Well,  off  with  it,  I  shall  not  wait  long." 

And  as  the  minister  was  pulling  his  arm  out  of  the 
last  sleeve,  he  took  Ned  under  the  right  ear  with 
his  fist  and  dropped  him  to  the  ground.  Quick  as 
thought  the  minister  was  on  top  of  him  and  held 
him  fast  to  the  ground.  Poor  Ned  groaned  in  dis- 
tress as  the  preacher  commenced  his  devotional  ex- 
ercise, where  he  had  left  off  as  he  approached  the 
blacksmith  shop: 


METHODISM  AT  AN  EARLY  DAY.  241 

"Sure  I  must  fight  if  I  would  reign, 
Increase  my  courage  Lord; 
I'll  bear  the  toil,  endure  the  pain 
Supported  by  thy  word." 

And  now,  keeping  time  with  the  music  in  the 
hymn,  he  poured  stroke  after  stroke  over  Ned's 
face  and  eyes.  It  was  not  long  until  poor  Ned,  nearly 
suffocated  by  the  pressure  of  two  hundred  pounds 
or  more,  and  not  knowing  when  the  music  would 
close  or  the  beating  end,  asked  for  quarter. 

"Please,  let  me  up.  O,  for  God's  sake,  do  hold 
up,  and  don't  kill  me.  You  are  taking  the  breath 
out  of  me.     Oh  do  let  me  up." 

"Not  just  yet,  Mr.  Forgron.  Before  I  do  that," 
said  the  preacher,  "I  shall  propose  a  few  things  to 
you." 

"Do  tell  me  quick  what  they  are." 

"In  the  first  place,  you  must  promise  me  that  you 
will  never  again  insult  any  man  or  minister  passing 
through  this  country." 

Here  Ned's  pride  rose,  though  half  choked,  and 
still  struggling  for  breath,  "I'll,  yes,  I'll  see  about 
that." 

"All  right,  Mr.  Forgron.  It  is  for  you  to  say 
what  you  will  do.  I  want  you  to  think  fast,  while 
I  sing  again:" 

"Thy  saints  in  all  this  glorious  war, 
Shall  conquer  though  they  die; 
They  see  the  triumph  from  afar, 
By  faith  they  bring  it  nigh." 
16 


242         CRUMBS  FKOM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

The  preacher  kept  time  with  the  words  of  his 
hymn,  and  showered  blow  after  blow  with  the  palm 
of  his  hand  over  Ned's  face  and  eyes,  taking  the 
pride  and  vanity  out  of  him  at  a  wonderful  rate,  and 
at  last  the  boasting  monarch  of  the  rural  village 
cried  out: 

"I'll,  I'll  try;  yes,  I  will." 

"Thank  God,"  said  Mr.  Nobleworth,  "you  are 
doing  finely,  I  shall  make  a  man  out  of  you  yet. 
And  now  you  must  promise  me  you  will  destroy  your 
infidel  books,  and  read  the  Bible,  and  with  the  help 
of  the  Lord,  commence  and  live  a  different  life." 

Here  Ned's  pride  rose  again.  "Must  I  burn  my 
books,"  said  the  infidel  scoffer. 

"  Do  as  you  think  best,  as  to  that,  Mr.  Forgron.  I 
want  you  to  read  the  Bible  and  become  a  good 
man,  and  an  honor  to  the  place  and  the  inhabitants 
where  you  live." 

"  Give  me  time  and  I  will  think  about  that.  They 
are  valuable  books  to  me." 

"  Well,"  said  the  preacher,  "  think  fast,  and  may 
the  Lord  help  you  while  I  sing: 

"When  that  illustrious  day  shall  rise, 
And  all  thy  armies  shine, 
In  robes  of  victory  through  the  skies, 
The  glory  shall  be  thine." 

Mr.  Forgron  well  knew  whal  was  coming  next; 

and  cried  out,  "  hold  up,  I  will,  they  shall  all  go  to 

the  flames ;  only  give  me  time." 


METHODISM  AT  AN  EARLY  DAY.  243 

"  That  is  grand,''  said  the  preacher ;  u  I  will  make 
a  decent  man  out  of  you  yet ;  and  now,  Mr.  Forgron, 
I  want  you  to  come  and  hear  me  preach  to-mor- 
row." 

"  How  can  I  do  that,  when  I  hate  the  Methodist 
as  I  do?" 

"You  may  think  more  of    them,  and  they  may 

think  better  of  you.     But  do  as  you  may  think  best, 

while  I  sing  a  few  lines  of  a  more  familiar  hymn: 

"O  how  happy  are  they, 
Who  their  Savior  obey 
And  have  laid  up  their  treasure  above." 

"My  God,  help  me  to  do  right,  and  teach  me 
what  to  say,  before  I  am  pounded  to  death." 

"  Say  you  will  come,  like  a  man,"  said  the  minister. 

"  How  can  I  do  that?  What  will  my  neighbors 
say  when  they  hear  that  Ned  Forgron  has  been 
over  to  the  Vine  Creek  school  house  to  hear  the  new 
minister  preach?" 

"  It  is  for  your  benefit  that  I  ask  this.  I  want 
your  neighbors  to  see  that  you  are  determined  to  re- 
form and  become  a  better  man.  And  now  make  up 
your  mind  as  to  what  you  will  do  while  I  sing:" 

"Tongue  can  never  express 
The  sweet  comfort  and  peace, 
Of  a  soul  in  its  earliest  love. 
That  sweet  comfort  was  mine, 
When  the  favor  divine, 
I  received  through  the  blood  of  the  Lamb." 

The  preacher  grew  more  fervent  in  his   musical 


244         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

devotion,  and  Ned  finding  that  the  accompaniment 
kept  pace  with  the  music,  soon  came  to  terms  and 
decided  the  matter: 

"Yes,  I  will  come,  that  is,  if  I  am  able  to  get 
there." 

"That  is  all  I  can  ask,"  said  the  preacher.  "You 
may  be  somewhat  sore  and  lame,  and  a  little  dis- 
figured in  your  countenance,  but  that  will  soon 
wear  off.  You  had  better  come;  if  you  remain  at 
home  your  neighbors  will  come  in  to  see  you  and 
you  will  have  to  explain.  If  you  come  to  Church 
the  people  will  attribute  your  appearance  to  some 
good  cause.  And  now,  Mr.  Forgron,  I  will  let  you 
up.  Go  down  to  the  brook  and  wash  your  face  and 
dust  your  clothes,  and  keep  your  secret,  and  I  will 
keep  mine.  That  will  be  the  best  thing  for  you  and 
me.  I  have  no  pride  to  gratify,  and  you  need  have 
no  mortification." 

As  Mr.  Nobleworth  mounted  his  horse,  he  gave 
his  hand  to  Mr.  Forgron,  "  Keep  your  promises,  and 
all  things  will  work  for  your  good,  and  may  be  the 
means  of  your  eternal  salvation.  I  shall  look  for 
you  to-morrow.  Good  night,  and  may  the  Lord 
help  you  in  doing  right.  " 

As  the  minister  passed  out  of  sight,  poor  Ned  sat 
down  to  reflect.  "What  would  the  people  say  if 
they  knew  that  Ned  Forgron  had  been  whipped  by 
a    Methodist  minister,    before   his  own  blacksmith 


METHODISM  AT  AN  EARLY  DAY.  245 

shop?"  During  the  night  his  meditations  continued 
somewhat  unpleasant;  but  when  he  awoke  in  the 
morning  he  remembered  his  promise,  and  after 
breakfast  quietl}r  mounted  his  horse  and  started  for 
the  Church  with  a  full  determination  to  commence  a 
different  life.  From  that  eventful  moment  a  re- 
markable change  came  over  this  wicked  man,  who 
had  been  the  dread  and  terror  of  all  his  neighbors. 
It  was  soon  reported  that  the  blacksmith  had  been 
over  to  the  Yine  Creek  School  House  to  hear  the 
new  minister,  and  that  he  had  burned  all  of  his  infi- 
del books;  but  no  one  had  the  slightest  knowledge 
of  what  had  occurred  between  Ned  and  the  Circuit 
rider. 

Mr.  Forgron  soon  after  attended  a  camp  meeting 
in  Greenbrier,  the  adjoining  Circuit,  and  on  Sunday 
morning,  after  the  close  of  the  sermon,  while  the 
congregation  united  in  singing  the  familiar  words, 
"  O,  how  happy  are  they  who  their  Saviour  obey," 
Mr.  Forgron  obtained  the  blessing.  At  the  experi- 
ence meeting  he  revealed  the  secret  of  his  conver- 
sion, and  appealed  to  Mr.  Nobleworth  as  his  spiritual 
father,  who  was  on  the  stand,  crying  and  shout- 
ing. As  Ned  closed  his  narrative,  Mr.  Nobleworth 
arose  and  said,  "All  his  story  as  to  myself  is  true, 
every  word  of  it;  and,  my  brethren,  I  do  really  be- 
lieve I  did  pound  the  grace  of  God  into  his  infidel 
soul. "     Mr.  Forgron,  for  many  years  was  a  zealous 


246         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

and  successful  Methodist  minister  in  the  Kanawha 
Valley,  in  Western  Virginia,  where  he  lived  and 
died,  and  James  Nobleworth  was  a  member  of  the 
Ohio  Conference  for  many  years,  and  at  last  emi- 
grated to  Iowa,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  days,  and  has  entered  his  reward  on  .high. 

Many  of  the  early  Methodist  preachers  were  men 
of  stalwart  frames  and  as  remarkable  for  their  cour- 
age and  powers  of  endurance,  as  for  their  intellectual 
and  religious  excellence.  James  Gilruth  was  one  of 
these  strong  men,  and  any  one  who  ever  knew  or 
heard  of  him,  must  have  some  knowledge  of  events 
in  his  history  not  unlike  that  described  in  the  fore- 
going narration.  I  Avas  once  his  colleague,  and  heard 
many  things  from  him  of  this  character,  which  he 
seldom  repeated  to  others.  This  brother  was  a  won- 
derful man  in  his  early  ministry,  possessing  singular 
strength,  courage  and  perseverance,  and  any  sinner 
who  interfered  with  him  or  his  ministry,  at  a  camp 
meeting,  or  anywhere  else,  had  failed  to  count  the 
cost.  This  prompt  action  in  defense  of  himself  or 
of  his  right  was  shown  in  his  admonition  to  the  imper- 
tinent lawyer  who,  in  defending  an  important  case, 
had  made  sport  of  him  as  a  witness,  and  ridiculed 
him  as  a  Methodist  minister ;  and  finally  asked  him 
to  state  to  the  jury  about  how  hard  he  supposed  his 
client  in  the  case  had  struck  the  plaintiff,  Mr.  Gilruth. 
Having  obtained  permission  of  the  judge  to  show 


CONVERSION  OF  A  TRAVELING  COMPANION.  247 

the  jury,  he  knocked  the  lawyer  half  way  across  the 
Court  Koom,  and  said  it  was  something  about  like 
that.  The  reply  appeared  to  be  satisfactory  to  the 
judge  and  jury,  if  not  to  the  lawyer. 

CONVERSION    OF  A    TRAVELING  COMPANION. 

On  one  of  my  missionary  expeditions  through  the 
countrv  on  horsback,  I  fell  in  company  with  an 
Eastern  Yankee,  who  was  out  prospecting.  He  was 
very  much  of  a  gentleman  but  a  decided  Atheist,  a 
man  of  some  forty  or  fifty  years  of  age.  After 
learning  that  he  was  a  skeptical  lawyer  and  he  had 
learned  my  profession,  he  said  there  was  more  or 
less  fanaticism  in  such  a  missionary  life.  As  for 
himself  he  had  found  more  rascality  in  his  profes- 
sional dealings  with  professors  of  religion  than 
among  infidels.  Being  a  stranger  I  did  not  wish  to 
disabuse  his  mind  on  this  subject  or  incur  his  dis- 
pleasure. We  had  passed  the  day  as  pleasantly  as 
possible  without  meeting  any  white  person,  not  even 
a  hunter  or  trapper.  Towards  evening  we  came  in 
sight  of  a  log  cabin  standing  in  a  forest  of  small 
timber,  and  as  night  was  fast  approaching,  the  ques- 
tion arose  whether  we  should  camp  out  or  ask  for 
entertainment  for  the  night.  My  companion  gave 
me  the  reigns  of  his  horse  and  proposed  examining 
the  inmates  of  the  house  before  deciding  what  we 
would  do.     He  came  out  much  excited  and  expressed 


248         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

it  as  his  opinion  that  we  had  come  upon  a  den  of 
thieves  and  robbers.  He  did  not  like  their  appear- 
ance, but  suggested  that  I  go  in  and  see  them.  I 
could  not  see  any  good  reason  for  apprehension  and 
returned  to  inform  my  friend  that  I  thought  we 
were  not  in  any  special  danger,  and  leaving  now 
would  create  suspicion  that  we  had  money,  and  they 
could  soon  follow  us.  I  said  we  had  better  make 
the  best  of  our  situation  and  trust  in  Providence. 

The  lawyer  thought  Providence  would  not  pro- 
tect us  among  theives,  and  asked  me  what  I  had  to 
defend  myself  with  should  they  make  an  attack 
upon  us.  "  Nothing  sir  but  my  Bible."  That  is 
proof  of  what  I  said  about  the  fanaticism  of  Chris- 
tians. If  we  are  allowed  to  remain  I  will  feign  my- 
self sick  and  ask  for  the  small  room  with  the  win- 
dow, and  we  will  sell  our  lives  as  dearly  as  possible 
— I  have  a  revolver  and  two  bowie  knives  and  you 
can  have  one  of  them,  and  we  will  do  our  besc  to 
escape  if  necessary. 

Having  tied  our  horses  to  a  tree  and  settled  the 
preliminaries,  we  entered  the  house  and  were  soon 
provided  with  corn  bread  and  venison  for  supper. 
The  time  for  retiring  having  arrived  the  request  was 
made  for  the  little  room.  As  this  was  the  sleeping 
place  for  the  children  we  could  not  have  it,  but  they 
would  give  us  their  bed  and  sleep  upon  the  floor 
themselves.     But  my  Yankee  lawyer  plead  for  the 


CONVERSION  OF  A  TRAVELING  COMPANION.  249 

little  room  which  at  last  he  obtained,  and  arrange- 
ments were  made  accordingly.  As  we  were  about 
to  retire  the  old  gentleman  said  he  had  come  from 
Vermont  and  had  been  in  this  new  country  three 
years.  When  in  Maryland  he  and  his  family  made 
a  profession  of  religion  and  belonged  to  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church,  and  they  had  brought  their  re- 
ligion with  them  into  this  wilderness  country  and  it 
was  his  practice  to  invite  all  strangers  who  stayed 
over  night  with  them  to  remain  until  after  prayers  if 
they  had  no  objections.  This  moved  me  to  tears, 
and  he  enquired  if  I  was  a  member  of  any  Church. 
I  told  him  I  was  a  Methodist  minister,  and  had 
come  to  the  west  as  a  missionary.  He  thanked 
God  he  had  lived  to  see  one  more  Methodist 
misister.  He  gave  me  the  well  worn  family  bible 
and  asked  me  to  read  and  pray.  As  I  was  about  tG 
close  my  prayer  he  said  "  now,  Mother,  you  pray, 
then  John  you  pray,  then  Sally  you  pray,  and  then 
I  will  pray,  and  we  will  have  a  prayer  meeting." 
After  retiring  to  our  room  I  asked  Mr.  King  who 
should  stand  guard  first.  He  said  "  please  say  no 
more." 

"Do  }^ou  feel  safe  in  this  house  to-night? " 
"  As  much  so,"  he  replied,    "  as  in  my  own  house. 
I  have  no  anxiety  in  regard  to  our  safety." 

I  said  no  more  and  we  slept  comfortably  through 
the  night,  and  the  next   morning  proceeded  on  our 


250         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

journey.  We  had  traveled  for  some  time  without 
any  reference  to  the  circumstances  of  the  last  night — 
my  companion  seeming  to  be  in  a  deep  study.  At 
last  he  proposed  to  stop  and  let  the  horses  feed  upon 
the  green  grass.  While  waiting  for  them  he  opened 
his  heart  and  acknowledged  the  excellence  of 
Christianity  and  requested  me  to  pray  that  he  might 
be  forgiven  for  his  infidelity  and  unbelief,  and  I  did 
as  he  requested.  Before  I  parted  with  David  King, 
who  was  on  his  way  to  Chicago,  I  believe  God  had 
soundly  converted  him,  and  I  am  sure  he  was  made 
a  happier  and  better  man  by  falling  in  company 
with  a  pioneer  Methodist  minister,  on  his  first  visit 
through  the  wilderness  from  Rock  Island  to  the  St. 
Anthony  Falls,  and  also  in  falling  in  company  with 
an  old  fashioned  Methodist  pioneer  family,  who  had 
brought  their  religion  with  them  into  this  new 
country. 

ONE    OF    PETER    TUTTLe's    CONVERTS. 

Mr.  Micha  Manuel's  conversion  at  a  ISewlight  pro. 
tracted  meeting  may  not  be  interesting  to  all  my 
readers,  still  I  am  in  hopes  it  may  not  prove  fatal  to 
the  most  devout  or  fastidious. 

The  experience  of  Uncle  Micha  Manuel  is  by  no 
means  a  fable;  it  illustrates  the  early  fruits  of  reli- 
gious fanaticism,  and  is  a  very  fair  specimen  of  the 
ignorance  and  superstition  of  those  who  held  to  im- 


ONE  OF  PETER  TUTTLe's  CONVERTS.  251 

mersion  as  a  saving  ordinance.  On  Sabbath  morning 
Uncle  Micha  said  to  his  wife  he  wanted  his  best 
suit  of  clothes  and  his  old  striped  pants.  "  "Why, 
father,"  said  the  old  lady,  "  what  in  the  world  do 
you  want  your  old  clothes  on  Sunday  morning." 
He  stated  that  was  none  of  her  business.  It  was 
her  duty  to  tell  him  where  they  could  be  found 
without  asking  so  many  foolish  questions.  Some  of 
the  children  intimated  that  dad  might  be  going 
somewhere  to  wash  sheep,  but  their  interference 
was  soon  dried  up  by  a  sharp  reproof .  Uncle  Micha 
having  arranged  his  costume,  mounted  the  old  gray 
mare  and  started  for  the  protracted  meeting  up  on 
Crab  Run,  under  the  ministry  of  Peter  Tuttle,  an 
aged  Divine  of  foreign  birth,  and  one  among  the 
most  successful  in  getting  his  converts  into  the 
water.  Uncle  Micha  returned  home  just  as  the 
family  wTere  about  to  partake  of  their  evening  re- 
past. Seating  himself  at  the  table  he  commanded 
silence  and  due  respect  to  what  he  was  about  to  say. 
"  I  want  it  distinctly  understood  I  have  on  this 
Lord's  day  been  immersed  in  Crab  Run  by  the  im- 
position of  Peter  Tuttle's  hands,  and  it  now  becomes 
my  imperative  duty  to  say  grace  at  the  table,  and  if 
any  one  of  you  children  dip  your  bread  with  your 
knife  or  fork  into  the  sop  or  gravy  before  I  finish, 
then  I  shall  arise,  and,  in  my  proper  place,  knock 
the  stuffing  out  of  everv  one  of  vou." 


252         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

Supper  having  ended,  some  of  the  children  had 
reached  the  cabin  loft,  and  were  arranging  for  the 
night.  The  candles  being  lighted  and  placed  upon 
the  table,  Uncle  Micha  commanded  all  to  come  down 
out  of  the  loft,  as  it  was  his  duty  as  a  consistent 
Christian  to  have  family  prayers.  All  having  as- 
sembled and  order  being  restored,  Uncle  Micha 
opened  his  large  family  Bible,  and  commenced 
reading,  but  not  being  accustomed  to  that  kind 
of  work,  he  started  in  as  follows :  Abraham 
begat  Isaac,  Isaac  begat  Jacob,  and  Jacob  be- 
gat Judas,  and  now  becoming  somewhat  embar- 
rassed, and  not  knowing  where  this  begetting  might 
end,  catching  his  breath  he  paused  and  now  added, 
"  And  God  only  knows  when  they  quit.  But  it  must 
be  remembered  that  the  Jews  were  a  numerous 
people  and  very  superstitious,  and  we  should  be 
thankful  that  it  is  not  now  as  it  was  once.  If  a 
beggar  came  along,  slap  went  his  hide  to  cover  the 
binnacle  of  a  ship." 

"No,  father,"  said  his  wife,  "you  don't  mean  that. 
The  Bible  says  :  Badger  skins  to  cover  the  taber- 
nacle." 

"  I  know  that,"  said  Uncle  Micha,  "  but  it  must  be 
remembered  that  the  Bible  was  written  by  Martin 
Luther  after  he  was  converted,  and  he  being  an  igno- 
rant Dutchman,  did  not  know  the  difference  between 
beggar  and  badger.     And  now  let  us  pray,  and  all 


ONE  OF  PETER  TUTTLE's  CONVERTS.  253 

of  you  get  down  upon  your  knees,  and  if  there  is  any 
whispering,  laughing,  or  giggling,  before  I  say  amen, 
then  all  of  you  children  will  get  a  devil  of  a  licking 
in  the  morning." 

Prayers  having  ended,  "  you  may  now  all  go  to 
bed,  and  have  no  more  fears  of  being  killed  by  thun- 
der, as  this  house  has  now  become  a  bethel  to  the 
Lord." 

The  next  morning  Uncle  Micha  was  up  bright  and 
early  attending  to  his  chores  and  milking  the  cows. 
The  old  lady  had  prepared  the  breakfast,  and  was 
now  waiting  the  return  of  her  husband.  At  length 
he  entered  cursing  and  swearing,  a  hole  in  the  knee 
of  his  pants,  his  wide-brimmed  hat  all  mashed  in  and 
he  well  covered  with  mud  and  milk.  Taking  his  place 
at  the  table,  he  commenced  by  saying : 

"  You  may  all  go  to  eating,  as  there  will  be  no 
more  praying  or  blessings  in  this  house  until  there  is 
a  better  state  of  things.  That  devilish  young  heifer 
presumes  too  much  on  my  piety,  and  I  will  let  her 
know  that  there  is  a  God  in  Israel  if  she  don't  do 
better." 

That  evening  the  boys  were  out  with  sharp  pointed 
sticks,  punching  up  the  red  heifer  to  see  her  kick, 
and  when  they  returned  to  the  house,  said  to  their 
mother : 

"If  dad  thinks  of  selling  that  red  heifer  don't  you 
consent.  As  long  as  we  can  keep  the  devil  in  her 
we  won't  have  any  more  of  dad's  awful  religion." 


254         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

Suffice  it  to  say,  there  has  been  a  great  change  and 
a  grand  improvement  in  society,  as  well  as  in  the 
country,  during  the  last  half  century.  Mr.  Manuel 
and  his  wife  became  active  and  useful  members  of 
the  Church,  his  house  and  home  a  preaching  place, 
his  family  highly  respected,  and  he  himself  an  intel- 
ligent member  of  the  community,  and  for  several 
years  occupied  the  important  position  as  magistrate 
and  postmaster,  and  in  after  life  quite  a  respectable 
exhorter,  but  was  always  more  or  less  eccentric,  being 
full  of  his  Irish  wit.  On  one  occasion,  a  young  min- 
ister, somewhat  diffident,  was  called  upon  to  ask  a 
blessing.  Holding  his  head  near  the  table,  and  in  a 
low  tone  went  through  the  ceremony,  and  when  he 
had  finished,  Mr.  Manuel  said : 

"Jim,  what's  the  matter  of  you?     Are  you  sick?'' 

The  young  man  said  he  was  not. 

"Well,  my  brother,  the  Lord  may  have  heard 
what  you  said  if  he  had  been  listening,  but  I  could 
not." 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


RETURNING  TO  OHIO. 


At  the  end  of  two  years  of  missionary  life  among 
the  Indians  and  others  in  the  far  West,  I  felt  that  I 
had  remained  about  as  long  as  duty  required.  We 
had  buried  our  only  precious  child;  my  health  was 
suffering,  my  wife  was  feeble,  and  she  was  dissatisfied 
with  the  hardships  and  deprivations  which  we  had 
to  endure.  She  had  frequently  been  chased  home 
by  Indians  and  wild  animals  while  wandering  along 
the  river  bluffs  gathering  the  small  wild  fruit  to 
supply  our  scanty  wants.  All  things  considered, 
we  concluded  to  close  up  our  affairs  and  return  to  our 
former  home  among  friends  and  relatives,  in  a  land 
of  plenty.  We  arrived  at  Akron,  Ohio,  the  second 
week  in  August,  1837. 

George  Babcock,  a  relative  of  my  wife,  who  was 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business,  made  me  a  fine 
offer,  and  I  now  proposed  to  settle  down  in  quiet 
life  and  enter  into  business  with  him.  However, 
Providence  often  directs  our  path  different  from  our 
well  conceived  plans,  and  directs  our  misguided 
steps  into  safer  roads  of  usefulness. 

Learning  that  a  camp  meeting  was  to  be  held  in 
what  is  now  Ashland  county,  the  pleasure  of  meet- 
(255) 


256         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

ing  the  ministers  and  members  of  other  days  induced 
me  to  attend,  and  all  my  expectations  were  fully  real- 
ized. Here  I  met  my  former  Presiding  Elder,  Adam 
Poe,  who  signed  my  release  from  the  Medina  work, 
and  gave  me  a  recommendation  to  the  ministry,  mem- 
bership and  others  in  the  far  West.  At  this  meet- 
ing I  was  cordially  invited  to  unite  with  the  new 
Conference  which  had  been  set  off  from  the  Ohio 
Conference  during  my  absence  in  the  West.  Whether 
real  or  imaginary,  the  name  of  the  old  Ohio  Confer- 
ence had  a  special  charm  to  me,  and  my  associations 
with  the  ministers  of  that  Conference  had  been 
pleasant  and  agreeable.  Yet  my  early  ministry  in 
the  Conference  had  been  principally  within  the 
bounds  of  the  new  Conference,  and  I  felt  that  the 
work  of  saving  sinners  and  the  reward  would  be  the 
same  wherever  I  labored. 

My  good  brother  Poe  gave  me  the  assurance  that 
if  I  united  with  the  Michigan  Conference  I  should 
have  his  influence  in  the  Cabinet,  and  that  he  would 
furnish  me  with  a  pleasant  charge  for  myself  and 
wife  within  the  bounds  of  his  District.  I  accordingly 
left  my  case  in  his  hands ;  and  at  the  Conference, 
held  in  the  city  of  Detroit  in  1837,  I  was  assigned 
to  the  Mansfield  Circuit,  Richland  Co.,  Ohio.  My 
colleague  was  Elmor  Yocum,  an  excellent  brother, 
who,  in  after  life,  was  transferred  to  the  Wisconsin 
Conference,  and  for  many  years  remained  a   very 


RETURNING  TO  OHIO.  257 

useful  and    active    minister    in  that   Northwestern 
Territory. 

The  Mansfield  charge  consisted  of  some  twelve 
appointments,  all  within  the  bounds  of  Richland 
County,  Ohio,  and  was  recognized  as  a  half  station. 
The  pastors  thus  spent  two  weeks  each  month  in  the 
city,  and  two  weeks  in  the  rural  part  of  the  work. 
This  proved  to  be  one  of  the  most  successful  years 
of  all  my  previous  itineracy.  The  revival  influence 
in  a  remarkable  manner  pervaded  the  entire  charge. 
But  the  great  and  noted  outpouring  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  was  at  what  was  called  the  Taylor  Meeting 
House,  in  the  Cracraft  neighborhood.  This  meet- 
ing lasted  six  weeks,  myself  preaching  day  and 
night  with  but  little  ministerial  assistance.  During 
this  time  there  were  seven  hundred  who  professed 
to  be  converted,  and  five  hundred  and  ninety-six 
united  with  the  Church,  and  such  was  the  wonder- 
ful manifestations  of  Divine  power  it  was  believed 
by  many  that  the  entire  community  would  have 
been  converted  had  my  health  and  strength  been 
such  as  to  have  continued  the  meeting.  But  being 
exposed  to  the  cold  night  air,  on  going  home  from  a 
heated  Church,  I  was  prostrated  with  a  hemorrhage, 
and  on  the  last  Sabbath  of  the  meeting  I  was  con- 
veyed on  a  bed  to  Ontario,  and  provided  for  in  the 
excellent  familv  of  Brother  S.  Williams,  who  in 
after  life  moved  to  Little  Rock,  Arkansas. 
17 


258  CKTJMBS   FKOM   MY    SADDLE   BAGS. 

I  remained  at  Ontario  for  three  weeks,  until  I 
could  be  removed  to  my  own  home  in  Mansfield,  and 
perhaps  would  not  have  recovered  but  for  the  kind- 
ness of  Dr.  Jenner,  of  Ontario,  who  remained  with 
me  day  and  night  until  a  favorable  change  took 
place.  Dr.  Genner  and  his  wife  had  made  a  profes- 
sion of  religion,  and  united  with  the  Church  during 
this  meeting ;  he  said  that  as  I  had  sacrificed  my 
health  for  the  good  of  that  community  he  wonld 
sacrifice  his  time  and  means  for  my  recovery.  This 
excellent  brother  and  his  family  moved  to  Crestline, 
where  some  of  the  family  are  still  living. 

Several  of  the  young  men  who  made  a  profession 
of  religion  during  this  meeting  have  filled  import- 
ant positions  in  life,  and  several  became  useful  and 
prominent  ministers,  among  whom  were  Shortis, 
Miller,  Young,  Owens,  Mower,  Cracraft  and  Lind- 
sey.  Abner  Cracraft  and  Ebenezer  Lindsey  fell  at 
their  posts  in  the  Maumee  Valley,  loved  and  respected 
by  all  who  knew  them.  Charles  B.  Brandebury 
and  Samuel  Hagerman  commenced  their  ministry 
this  year,  and  their  long  and  useful  career  is  well 
known  by  the  members  of  the  Central  Ohio  Confer- 
ence. The  honored  parents  of  Prof.  Gaylord  H. 
Hartupee,  of  the  North  Ohio  Conference  were 
among  the  number  who  joined  the  Church  at  this 
great  revival,  and  such  was  their  friendship  for  their 
pastor,  that  one  of  their  sons,  now  a  professional 


WOOSTER  CIRCUIT.  259 

man,  bears  his  name,  and  to  this  clay  has  some  re- 
memberence  of  the  Bible  I  sent  him  as  a  namesake. 
This  was  the  community  in  which  William  L.  Harris 
spent  many  days  of  his  early  life,  and  his  excellent 
Christian  widowed  mother  was  a  member  of  this 
society  at  this  rural  Church.  At  the  ensuing  Con- 
ference we  reported  a  membership  of  twelve  hun- 
dred. 

WOOSTER   CIRCUIT. 

At  the  Conference  held  at  Tiffin  in  1838,  E.  C. 
Gavitt  and  W.  L.  Harris  were  assigned  to  the  Woos- 
ter  Circuit.  My  colleague  had  been  recently  received 
into  the  Michigan  Conference  at  the  session  held 
in  Detroit  in  1837,  and  was  now  entering  upon  his 
early  itineracy.  He  was  a  young  man  of  more 
than  ordinary  promise,  having  a  fine  personal  ap- 
pearance, a  firm  constitution  and  popular  ministerial 
ability,  and  fully  qualified  for  the  responsibilities  of 
this  large  and  laborious  charge.  This  was  a  year  of 
unusual  prosperity,  and  hundreds  were  converted 
and  united  with  the  Church.  Methodism  received  a 
favorable  impulse  in  the  city  of  Wooster.  My  as- 
sociations with  this  excellent  Christian  brother  were 
pleasant  and  agreeable,  and  during  this  year  a 
strong  and  abiding  attachment  was  formed  between 
us,  which  was  not  diminished  in  any  degree  by  the 
selection  of  his  youthful  companion,  who  still  ac- 


260        CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

knowledges  me  as  her  spiritual  father,  being  con- 
verted under  my  labors  during  the  great  revival  at 
Dover  Center.  I  have  been  personally  associated 
with  brother  Harris  in  three  different  Conferences, 
and  during  my  agency  for  the  Ohio  Wesleyan 
University,  in  which  he  was  a  Professor ;  and  I  am 
pleased  to  say  that  the  members  of  the  Central  Ohio 
Conference,  to  which  he  virtually  belongs,  feel  that 
they  are  honorably  represented,  and  they  rejoice  in 
his  success  and  prosperity,  as  one  among  the  senior 
Bishops  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

NORTH  OHIO  CONFERENCE. 

At  the  session  of  the  North  Ohio  Conference  held 
at  Mansfield,  Kichland  Co.,  Ohio,  Sept.  17th,  1856, 
Bishop  Ames  presiding,  this  Conference  was  divid- 
ed and  the  Delaware  Conference  constituted.  In 
the  arrangement  and  transfers,  so  as  to  accommo- 
date the  brethren,  as  far  as  possible  in  each  of  the 
•Conferences,  Bishop  Ames  requested  Dr.  Thomson, 
Prof.  Harris  and  myself  to  meet  him  at  his  private 
room,  as  he  wished  to  consult  us  as  to  our  preferen- 
ces. As  they  were  connected  with  the  Ohio  Wes- 
lej'an  University,  and  as  I  had  been  employed  dur- 
ing the  year  in  the  sale  of  scholarships  for  the 
Female  College  of  Delaware,  and  as  we  wrere  not  in 
the  regular  pastorate,  we  should  have  the  right  to 
say  to  which  one  of  the  Conferences   we  would  pre- 


NORTH  OHIO  CONFERENCE.  261 

fer  to  belong.  The  Bishop,  however,  proposed  to 
President  Thomson  to  remain  in  the  North  Ohio, 
and  to  Dr.  Harris  to  go  into  the  Delaware  Confer- 
ence. This  he  thought  would  be  for  the  best,  as 
the  University  would  then  be  represented  in  both  of 
the  Conferences.  These  brethren  having  consented 
to  this  proposition,  "  Now,  brother  G-avitt,"  said  the 
Bishop,  "  where  will  you  go." 

"  "Wherever  you  may  think  it  best." 

I  was  five  years  the  Financial  Agent  of  the  Ohio 
Wesleyan  University  and  the  last  year  agent  for  the 
Wesleyan  Female  College,  and  now  I  would  prefer 
some  other  kind  of  work. 

Dr.  Thomson  said,  "Brother  Gavitt  has  been  a 
faithful  agent,  and  has  given  general  satisfaction, 
and  I  would  be  pleased  to  have  him  remain  in  the 
North  Ohio  Conference." 

Dr.  Harris  said,  "  I  object  to  that;  we  have 
worked  together  for  several  }^ears  in  the  same  Con- 
ference, and  I  want  him  to  go  with  me  and  help 
build  up  the  new  Conference." 

"  "Well,  "  said  Bishop  Ames,  "  as  he  has  left  it  for 
me  to  say,  I  shall  grant  your  request,  and  it  will  not 
be  long  before  you  will  have  as  fine  a  Conference  as 
the  one  you  have  left." 

We  parted  at   a  late   hour,   wishing  each  other 
abundant   prosperity.      On    the    ensuing   morning. 
Prof.  Harris  and  myself  met  at  the  Mansfield  depot, 


262         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

with  our  satchels  in  hand,  ready  for  our  new  field  of 
labor. 

This  year  terminated  my  six  years  of  agency. 
They  had  been  years  of  labor,  anxiety  and  care.  My 
associations  with  the  President  and  Faculty  of  the 
Ohio  Wesleyan  University  were  always  pleasant  and 
satisfactory,  and  my  agency,  in  many  respects,  was 
a  success,  and  must  have  been  satisfactory,  as  the 
Board  of  Trustees  asked  for  my  continuance  from 
year  to  year. 

And  now  in  conclusion,  let  me  say,  as  an  itinerant 
minister  with  but  limited  means,  I  have  done  my 
full  share  in  building  up  an  institution  of  learning 
second  to  none  in  Ohio,  and  I  know  of  no  one  who 
did  more  at  that  early  day,  contributing  in  all  about 
$1,000,  and  my  prayer  is  that  this  institution  of  learn- 
ing may  continue  to  prosper  in  the  future  as  in  the 
past. 

PRESIDING  ELDER  OF  LIMA  DISTRICT. 

This  was  the  commencement  of  my  t  hirteen  years 
of  Presiding  Eldership  in  the  Delaware  and  Central 
Ohio  Conference.  This  appointment  was  quite  un- 
expected to  me  at  this  early  day  of  my  ministry, 
and  was  not  in  the  least  desired  by  me  at  this  Con- 
ference. During  my  agency  all  of  my  aspirations 
as  to  the  Northwest,  the  Black  Swamp  and  Pauld- 
ing county  had  been  fully  gratified. 


PRESIDING  ELDER  OF  LIMA  DISTRICT.  2G3 

The  morning  before  the  appointments  were  to  be 
read  out,  I  went  to  Bishop  Waugh,  against  the  pro- 
tests of  my  friends  in  the  Cabinet,  and  requested  a 
change,  as  I  felt  myself  incompetent  for  the  work. 
However,  the  Bishop  declined  to  make  the  change, 
saying  that  he  had  much  more  hope  of  a  brother 
who  did  not  want  the  office  than  of  one  who  sought 
it.  He  added  that  the  Cabinet,  his  council  and  himself 
were  satisfied  with  the  appointment,  and  that  if  I 
had  the  ability  to  manage  the  agency  of  the  Ohio 
Wesleyan  University  for  five  or  six  years,  he 
thought  I  could  manage  the  affairs  of  a  District  for 
at  least  one  year,  and  he  should  expect  a  good  re- 
port at  the  end  of  the  year.  I  must  say  I  was  much 
disappointed  in  the  warm  and  cordial  reception  of 
the  ministerial  brethren  who  had  been  assigned  as 
my  associates  upon  this  District;  and  a  grand  and 
noble  work  did  they  accomplish  during  the  year. 
The  revival  influence  extended  all  over  the  charge, 
and  hundreds  were  converted  and  added  to  the 
Church.  Six  ministers  out  of  this  number  have  since 
entered  upon  their  reward,  and  there  are  but  five 
now  left  in  the  effective  pastorate.  May  we  all  at 
last  meet  where  the  labors  of  the  itineracy  will 
afford  the  greatest  pleasure  of  all  our  earthly  toils. 

I  now  submit  my  Conference  report  as  to  the 
Missions  within  this  District.  This  was  the  only 
written  report  required  at  that  early  day,  all  others 


264  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

being  a  verbal  statement  as  to  the  Pastors  and  their 
charges  during  the  year.  I  trust  this  will  not  be 
altogether  uninteresting  to  the  reader,  as  it  was  of 
sufficient  interest  to  be  published  in  the  Missionary- 
Reports. 

REPORT  OF    THE  DOMESTIC  MISSIONS. 

Lima  District,  Delaware  Conference,  Rev.  E.  C. 
Gavitt  Presiding  Elder.  This  brother  writes  of  the 
Mission  in  his  charge,  and  we  bespeak  a  reading  of 
his  report,  as  this  will  show  something  of  former 
days  and  pioneer  life: 

Paulding  Mission — There  are  two  missionaries  on 
this  charge  —  Enoch  G.  Longsworth  and  John  N. 
Priddy.  They  have  twenty-three  appointments, 
which  have  to  be  filled  every  four  weeks,  and  in 
making  the  rounds  on  the  charge  it  requires  the 
travel  of  about  250  miles. 

This  section  of  the  country  is  but  thinly  inhabit- 
ed, their  congregations  are  small,  and  the  member- 
ship few  and  far  between.  The  most  of  their  time 
however,  is  employed  in  preaching  on  week  days 
and  visiting  and  praying  with  the  people.  There 
are  no  meeting  houses  or  parsonages  on  this  work. 
The  missionaries  preach  in  school  houses  and  pri- 
vate residences.  There  are  some  seven  towns  be- 
sides the  County  seat  within  the  bounds  of  this 
charge,   averaging   from   one   to   ten  houses.     The 


REPORT  OF  THE  DOMESTIC  MISSIONS.  265 

County  seat  has  about  100  inhabitants,  and  is  well 
located,  and  some  day  will  be  a  place  of  import- 
ance. In  going  and  returning  from  my  first  quart- 
erly meeting,  a  ride  of  150  miles,  I  stopped  in  one  of 
these  towns  to  refresh  myself,  and  there  was  but 
one  house  in  the  place.  This  was  the  home  of  a 
kind  hearted  brother  by  the  name  of  Groober,  who 
takes  much  pleasure  in  entertaining  the  pioneer 
ministers.  This  home  reminded  me  of  the  boy's 
father,  who  had  been  promoted  to  many  offices,  such 
as  Esquire,  Magistrate  and  Justice  of  the  Peace. 
This  house  answered  for  a  store,  tavern,  postoffice, 
meeting  house  and  family  dwelling.  Most  of  these 
towns  are  along  the  two  canals,  passing  through 
this  country,  and  it  would  be  almost  impossible  in 
the  Spring  or  Fall  for  the  Missionaries  to  reach  their 
appointments  if  it  were  not  for  toepaths  along  these 
thoroughfares.  There  are  162  members  on  this  work 
and  six  Sabbath  Schools,  with  about  100  Sabbath 
Schoolchildren;  also  a  few  union  schools,  principally 
conducted  by  the  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church. 

Brother  Longs  worth  resides  in  a  small  village 
called  Charlo,  formerly  the  County  seat  of  Paulding 
County.  His  excellent  lady  can  make  an  old  rickety 
store  house  look  as  much  like  a  palace  as  the  most 
refined  artist.  There  is  but  one  room  in  this  tempo- 
rary   parsonage   which    answers   for   their    parlor. 


266         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

kitchen  and  sleeping  room.  They  were  kind  enough 
to  surrender  their  rights  to  Brother  Priddy  and 
myself  and  took  lodgings  for  the  night  with  one  of 
their  neighbors.  This,  however,  was  the  only  dwel- 
ling on  the  charge  to  be  obtained,  and  this  by  the 
kindness  of  a  personal  friend.  Brother  Longsworth 
has  a  good  constitution,  preaches  well,  and  appears 
to  have  his  Master's  work  at  heart. 

Brother  Priddy  lives  in  Yan  Wert  County  on  a 
farm  which  he  had  commenced  improving  before  he 
entered  the  ministry,  and  which  his  excellent  com- 
panion superintends  during  his  absence,  and  his 
small  salary  furnishes  them  a  limited  support.  This 
brother  is  one  of  our  large  preachers,  at  least,  that 
is  what  the  people  say,  in  every  respect.  However, 
his  being  somewhat  corpulent  makes  it  inconveni- 
ent for  his  horse  in  passing  through  swamps  and 
swails.  He  is  a  noble  man,  an  able  minister,  and  a 
successful  pastor,  untiring  in  all  his  efforts  to  win 
souls  to  Christ.  The  country  being  new  and  the 
inhabitants  in  limited  circumstances,  money  mat- 
ters are  not  very  encouraging;  however,  should  the 
winter  and  spring  prove  favorable  for  hunting  and 
trapping,  money  will  be  more  plentiful,  as  this 
country  abounds  in  wild  game.  The  principal  pro- 
duct consists  in  staves,  hoop  poles,  furs  and  wild 
game.  Racoon,  bear,  deer,  and  wolf  skins  are  in 
great  demand,  and  in  fact,  furs  of  all  kinds.  A  mink 


AN  INCIDENT  OF  MORAL  IMPROVEMENT.  267 

skin  will  bring  $5,  and  such  is  the  demand  for  fur 
to  ornament  the  ladies'  dresses,  there  is  scarcely  a 
6kunk,  weasel  or  an  oppossum  left  in  all  the  land. 

AN  INCIDENT  OF  MORAL  IMPROVEMENT. 

As  new  as  this  country  is,  there  is  a  disposition  to 
maintain  the  laws  of  the  State.  On  my  return  from 
the  place  of  my  quarterly  meeting,  which  was  held 
at  Antwerp,  near  the  Indiana  State  line,  and  be- 
tween this  place  and  Delphos,  traveling  on  the  tow 
path  of  the  Wabash  Canal,  I  met  two  men  with  a 
prisoner.  He  was  mounted  on  a  mule,  his  legs  tied 
with  a  rope  and  his  hands  connected  with  some  kind 
of  steel  or  iron  ornament.  The  sheriff  and  another 
man  were  paying  much  attention  to  him  for  some 
cause.  One  was  leading  his  mule  and  the  other  was 
walking  behind  him  with  a  loaded  revolver  in  his 
hand.  I  had  a  slight  sensation  of  pleasure,  consider- 
ing at  least  I  was  safe  in  this  neck  of  woods  from 
one  cut-throat  or  scoundrel,  and  as  it  was  raining  I 
passed  on  without  inquiring  into  the  merits  of  the 
case.  Having  traveled  a  few  miles  in  this  direction, 
I  met  a  beggar,  in  a  dense  forest,  with  a  gun  on  his 
shoulder,  who  said  he  was  from  Cincinnati  on  his 
way  to  Michigan  to  see  his  widowed  mother  who 
was  at  the  point  of  death.  He  said  he  never  had  a 
father,  but  was  anxious  to  see  his  mother  before  she 
died,  and  he  was  out  of  money.       If  he  had  a  few 


268         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

dollars  he  could  go  it  rain  or  shine.  Poor  fellow,  I 
had  no  faith  in  what  he  said,  but  gave  him  all  he 
asked  for,  and  some  more,  and  was  thankful  to  get 
rid  of  him  on  such  easy  terms. 

I  am  not  a  stranger  to  a  missionary  s  life,  having 
spent  the  early  part  of  my  ministry  in  this  noble 
work.  From  what  I  could  see  and  learn  of  these 
brethren,  nothing  but  the  love  of  Christ  and  the 
worth  of  souls  could  constrain  them  to  enter  upon 
this  self-sacrificing  work,  as  missionaries  in  this  new 
section  of  the  country. 

REPORT  OF    DELPHOS  MISSION. 

There  are  now  in  this  place  about  800  inhabit- 
ants. Of  this  number,  I  learn  one  half  or  more  are 
German  Roman  Catholics.  They  have  a  large 
Church  edifice  which  they  have  for  years  been 
building.  To  accomplish  this,  they  have  brought 
their  tithes  and  offerings  and  laid  them  down  at  the 
priest's  feet,  and  this  building,  which  is  now  finished, 
and  has  the  appearance  of  a  large  flouring  mill 
more  than  anything  else  is  the  general  rendez- 
vous for  all  the  Romanists  in  this  section  of  the 
country.     They  now  have  a  fine  Church. 

In  consequence  of  some  unfortunate  circumstan- 
ces, Protestantism  has  not  been  as  prosperous  as  its 
friends  could  have  wished.  I  understand  that  the 
Presbyterians  and  Baptists   formerly   had    regular 


REPORT  OF  DELPHOS  MISSION.  269 

preaching  in  this  place,  but  being  without  a  Church 
edifice  they  have  in  a  measure  become  discouraged, 
and  are  now  as  sheep  without  a  shepherd.  May  the 
Lord  in  his  good  time  send  them  useful  and  efficient 
pastors.  The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  must  have 
shared  the  same  fate  had  it  not  been  for  the  influ- 
ence of  Brothers  Petit  and  Martin,  two  local  preach- 
ers, and  a  few  others,  whom  God  in  his  providence 
enabled  to  build  a  comfortable  house  of  worship  at  a 
time  when  their  influence  and  temporal  circum- 
stances were  not  by  any  means  as  favorable  as  at 
present.  How  important  it  is  for  the  prosperity 
and  perpetuity  of  any  Church  to  have  a  comfortably 
house  for  Divine  worship.  It  not  only  contributes 
to  the  prosperity  of  that  society  but  also  to  the 
temporal  interest  of  the  place  and  gives  character 
and  influence  to  any  community. 

Rev.  Isaac  Newton  is  the  missionary  on  this 
charge.  He  has  a  good  officiary,  pleasant  Church, 
and  a  medium  fair  congregation,  with  a  member- 
ship of  some  forty-five,  and  a  Sabbath  school  con- 
sisting of  about  twenty  children.  This  good  broth- 
er has  taken  to  himself  a  wife  this  year,  and  one 
well  qualified  for  the  itineracy,  having  the  mis- 
sionary spirit  of  going  from  house  to  house  and  do- 
ing good  among  the  poor  as  well  as  the  rich.  There 
being  no  parsonage  in  this  place,  a  gentleman,  I 
understand  not  a  member  of  our  Church,   has  given 


270         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

them  the  use  of  a  very  comfortable  house.  The 
ladies  of  the  place  have  furnished  them  with  a  fine 
carpet  and  many  other  good  things  in  their  new  en- 
terprise in  keeping  house.  Brother  Newton  and  his 
wife  have  already  made  a  good  impression  on  the 
inhabitants  of  Delphos,  and  I  have  no  fears  but  that 
the  mission  will  be  well  sustained.  I  have  spent 
several  of  my  rest  days  in  this  place  in  company 
with  this  brother,  in  visiting  the  membership  and 
preaching,  and  the  prospects  at  this  time  are  favor- 
able for  a  gracious  revival  of  religion ;  and  my 
prayer  is  that  the  Church  may  more  than  realize 
their  anticipations. 

MYSTERIOUS    CONVERSION    OF     AN     INFIDEL     AND     A   YORK 
STATE     YANKEE. 

A  circumstance  which  occurred  in  the  early  part 
of  my  ministry  in  Spencer  township,  Medina  County, 
in  1834,  and  will  somewhat  illustrate  the  peculiarity 
of  early  Methodism.  In  this  neighborhood  lived  a 
man  by  the  name  of  Lewis,  who  had  been  noted  for 
his  infidelity  and  opposition  to  Christianity.  Rev. 
H.  O.  Sheldon  learning  of  this  fact,  visited  him  and 
made  a  proposition  that  if  he  would  pray  every  night 
before  he  retired  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner," 
for  four  weeks  and  was  not  convented  during  that 
time  he  would  give  him  his  gold  watch. 

Mr.  Lewis  consented  to  do  so,  and  called  his  wife 


MYSTERIOUS  CONVERSION  OF  AN  INFIDEL.  271 

to  witness  the  contract.  "Now,"  said  Lewis,  "there 
is  no  fooling  in  this  matter.  I  shall  demand  the  watch 
when  you  return,  and  you  must  not  attempt  to  deny 
the  contract  or  I  shall  publish  you  and  your  decep- 
tion." "Have  no  fears;  be  as  good  as  your  word 
and  I  will  meet  all  my  obligations." 

Mr.  Lewis  continued  his  prayer  for  a  few  days,  but 
soon  regretted  what  he  had  done.  He  thought 
seriously  it  would  only  add  fuel  to  his  infidelity,  and 
if  there  was  a  God  it  was  a  wonder  He  had  not  cut 
him  down  in  his  blasphemy.  His  distress  of  mind 
became  almost  unbearable,  and  he  resolved  to  try  the 
merits  of  his  prayer  in  earnest.  Eetiring  to  his  log 
barn,  he  plead  with  God  to  have  mercy  and  forgive 
him  for  the  crime  he  had  committed  in  selling  his 
future  and  eternal  happiness  for  a  watch.  He  con- 
tinued his  prayer  until  a  late  hour,  and  at  last  God 
accepted  his  petition  and  spoke  peace  to  his  troubled 
soul. 

The  next  morning  he  mounted  his  horse  and  started 
for  Medina  to  find  Brother  Sheldon,  who  was  to  be 
at  that  place  on  the  Sabbath.  When  he  arrived  he 
found  this  eccentric  minister.  Mr.  Sheldon1  said 
"  You  must  be  in  a  hurry.  The  four  weeks  have  not 
expired."  Mr.  Lewis  replied,  "  I  am  not  after  your 
watch,  but  have  come  to  tell  you  that  God  for 
Christ's  sake  has  converted  me,  and  the  joy  is  so 
great  that  I  have  come  that  you  might  praise  God 


272         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

with  me  for  my  deliverance."  Sheldon  took  Lewis  to 
his  arms,  and  an  old-fashioned  shout  ensued  and  a 
general  time  of  rejoicing. 

My  appointment  in  the  neighborhood  where  Mr. 
Lewis  lived  was  on  Sabbath.  A  land  speculator 
from  York  State,  named  Hall,  who  had  arrived  the 
Saturday  before,  had  put  up  with  Mr.  Lewis,  and 
on  Sabbath  requested  Lewis  to  accompany  him  in 
finding  his  land,  to  which  Lewis  objected,  stating  he 
had  seen  the  day  when  he  had  but  little  respect  for 
the  sanctity,  of  God's  holy  day,  but  that  was  past, 
and  now  invited  the  York  State  Yankee  to  attend 
church  with  him.  He  declined,  stating  he  had  but 
little  respect  for  the  Methodist  Church  or  their  min- 
istry ;  they  were  an  ignoraut  sect,  and  very  super- 
stition and  fanatical.  The  ministers  carried  some 
kind  of  powder  which  they  cast  over  their  congrega- 
tions at  a  proper  time  to  make  them  jump,  shout, 
fall,  and  get  the  jerks,  which  sometimes  proved  fatal. 
Mr.  Lewis  stated  that  be  had  heard  of  such  things 
before,  but  considered  it  more  imagination  than 
reality;  and  no  such  manifestations  ever  occurred  in 
their  neighborhood.  He  informed  Mr.  Hall  that  the 
young  minister  who  was  to  preach  was  a  mild,  pleas- 
ant speaker,  and  destitute  of  anything  like  fanati- 
cism, and  he  had  no  hesitancy  in  saying  he  would 
not  be  in  any  danger.  Confiding  in  what  Mr.  Lewis 
had  said,  he  consented  to  attend.     I  took  for  my 


MYSTERIOUS  CONVERSION  OF  AN  INFIDEL.  273 

text,  "  Receive  the  Holy  Ghost,"  Acts  VIII.  chapter 
and  15th  verse.  It  was  not  long  before  an  elderly 
lady  in  whom  all  had  confidence  commenced  shout- 
ing, and  soon  lost  her  strength  and  lay  prostrate  on 
the  floor  with  the  jerks.  Soon  the  religious  excite- 
ment was  intense,  and  past  my  control.  Some  were 
shouting,  others  falling,  and  sinners  crying  aloud  for 
mercy.  The  New  York  Yankee  became  alarmed 
and  started  to  run  for  the  door,  but  fell  prostrate, 
crying,  "Help  me !  O  do  save  me  !"  Mr.  Lewis  went 
to  his  assistance.  The  congregation  was  dismissed,  and 
I  now  went  to  give  some  attention  to  my  strange 
hearer.  I  relieved  the  mind  of  Mr.  Lewis  by  stating 
there  was  no  danger,  and  it  might  be  the  means  of 
his  eternal  salvation.  The  few  who  remained  con- 
tinued singing  and  praying,  and  toward  evening 
consciousness  was  restored  and  Mr.  Hall  was  able 
soon  after  to  accompany  us  to  Mr.  Lewis'  house. 
During  family  worship  he  experienced  religion,  and 
in  his  reserved  manner  stated  he  hoped  God  had 
converted  him.  In  the  morning,  as  I  was  preparing 
to  leave  for  my  next  appointment,  I  stated  that  as  he 
would  be  likely  to  return  East  before  my  next  ap- 
pointment, I  would  like  to  know  his  feelings  on  the 
subject  of  religion.  He  said  that  it  was  a  strange 
experience.  He  had  found  his  Saviour,  if  not  his 
land,  which  was  worth  more  to  him  than  all  the  land 
in  Ohio,  and  he  hoped  God  would  help  him  to  re- 
18 


274         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

main  faithful.  "  Your  experience,"  I  said, "  has  been 
much  like  St.  Paul's.  God  has  opened  your  eyes 
and  relieved  you  of  your  prejudice  against  Method- 
ism and  what  you  supposed  was  Methodist  powder. 
Should  God  call  you  to  preach  as  he  did  the 
great  apostle,  I  hope  you  will  not  disregard  his 
voice."  This  was  the  first  manifestation  of  the  kind 
which  had  occurred  under  my  ministry  during  this 
Conference  year,  but  was  no  new  thing  to  me  in  the 
manifestation  of  Divine  power  at  that  early  day. 

CHANGES  IN  CHURCH  ECONOMY. 

During  the  last  half  century  many  changes  have 
taken  place  in  the  economy  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  which  will  be  seen  in  the  general 
perusal  of  this  work.  It  shows  that  Methodism  is 
progressive  and  is  subject  to  every  improvement  in 
its  temporal  economy  which  may  be  considered  for 
the  best.  The  doctrines  of  the  Church,  as  set  forth 
in  the  Discipline,  will  probably  remain  the  same. 

There  is  one  change  in  our  economy  to  which  I 
wish  to  refer  as  a  very  great  improvement.  It  was 
proposed  by  nryself,  as  a  member  of  the  General 
Conference  held  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  in  1860;  and  if 
any  one  will  refer  to  the  Journal  of  that  Conference 
he  will  find  on  page  159  the  following: 

On  motion  of  Elnathan  C.  Gavitt,  the  following 
resolution  was  adopted: 


EMBARRASSMENTS.  275 

Resolved,  That  the  Committee  on  Eevisals  be  in- 
structed to  take  into  consideration  the  propriety  of 
inserting  in  the  Discipline  a  form  for  the  dedication 
of  meeting  houses;  and  also  a  form  for  receiving 
probationers  into  full  membership. 

And  with  a  slight  change,  the  present  Ritual  was 
received  and  endorsed  by  the  Revising  Committee,  as 
it  is  now  incorporated  in  the  Discipline  and  in  gen- 
eral use  by  the  ministry  and  the  membership  of  the 
Church. 

EMBARRASSMENTS. 

In  the  early  part  of  my  ministry  I  suffered  much 
from  timidity,  and  found  it  to  be  a  great  task  to 
preach  before  a  large  and  intelligent  congration,  and 
especially  before  the  Presiding  Elder,  considering 
them  as  something  more  than  the  common  rank  and 
file.  On  one  occasion,  being  called  upon  to  preach 
before  David  Young,  whose  stern  and  piercing  eye 
could  scan  a  young  man  from  head  to  foot,  such 
were  my  feelings  and  my  mortification  as  to  my 
sermon,  as  soon  as  I  had  closed  I  went  down  out  of 
the  pulpit,  and  stretched  myself  out  on  a  bench, 
closed  my  eyes  and  tried  to  die.  A  good  old  lady, 
where  the  Elder  was  stopping,  being  well  pleased 
with  the  sermon,  was  honest  enough  to  say  in  his 
presence:    "If  that  young  man  remains  faithful,  and 


276         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

has  health,  and  will  dress  a  little  plainer,  the  day 
will  be  when  he  will  make  a  Presiding  Elder. 

This  pride  and  timidity  and  want  of  confidence 
embarrassed  me  for  years.  The  first  year  after  I 
had  entered  Conference,  having  preached  at  night 
in  a  rural  village,  I  was  so  much  displeased  with  my 
effort  that  the  next  morning  before  daylight  I 
started  for  home,  a  distance  of  some  100  miles.  I 
had  got  well  underway  when  I  overtook  a  member 
of  the  Church  on  his  way  to  Wooster  with  a  load 
of  cheese.  He  hailed  me  and  wished  to  know 
where  I  was  going.  I  said  my  call  had  run  out,  and  I 
was  bound  for  home  in  Licking  county.  He  ordered 
me  to  return  back  as  soon  as  possible,  saying  that 
"the  school  mistress  was  convicted  last  night  under 
your  sermon,  and  when  they  returned  home,  he  had 
invited  a  few  members  and  they  continued  to  pray 
for  her  untd  midnight;  and  they  were  to  send  for 
you  in  the  morning." 

"  Well,  Brother  Parsons,"  said  I,  "  if  any  one  has 
been  distressed  by  that  sermon  more  than  myself,  I 
will  put  back  and  help  them  out  if  possible." 

The  first  year  I  was  appointed  to  a  District,  in  at- 
tending my  first  quarterly  meeting,  I  was  intro- 
duced to  a  Presbyterian  clergyman,  a  man  of  more 
than  ordinary  size,  and  quite  corpulent.  He  had 
resigned  his  charge  and  was  now  searching  for 
another  location,  as  his  parishioners  had  preferred  a 


EMBARRASSMENTS.  277 

chancre.  Bein^  introduced  to  Mr.  Reed  as  the  Pre- 
siding  Elder,  he  appeared  somewhat  surprised,  say- 
ing that  he  supposed  the  Methodists  selected  the 
largest  men  in  the  Conference  for  that  office.  Mv 
friend  who  had  introduced  me  appeared  to  hesitate 
as  to  a  reply.  I  said  to  the  brother,  "  It  was  some- 
what so  at  an  early  day,  but  of  late  years  there  had 
been  a  change.  They  now  look  at  a  man's  brains, 
and  not  so  much  at  the  size  of  his  abdomen.''  The 
good  brother  being  somewhat  embarrassed,  passed 
on.  Being  aware  however,  that  the  sentiment  ex- 
pressed by  this  good  brother  is  somewhat  common, 
and  may  be  seen  in  the  selection  of  political  and 
military  men,  I  have  been  led  to  examine  this  sub- 
ject with  some  degree  of  interest,  for  the  purpose  of 
ascertaining  from  history  and  otherwise  who  were 
among  the  small  men,  and  to  what  distinction  they 
have  ever  attained.  I  find  on  examination  that 
character  and  talents  may  arrive  to  eminence  from 
the  cottage  as  well  as  from  the  mansion,  and  that 
moral  or  religious  superiority  does  not  always  de- 
pend upod  flesh  and  blood  or  man's  personal  appear- 
ance. For  instance,  Canute,  the  Great,  was  a  small 
man,  Nelson  was  small,  Conde  was  little,  Hilde- 
brand,  and  Gregory  VII.  were  extremely  small,  and 
it  is  said  he  the  latter  was  the  mightiest  man  among 
the  Popes.  Napoleon,  the  military  chieftain,  was  small 
of  stature.    Wesley,  the  founder  of  Methodism,  was  a 


278         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

profound  theologian,  but  was  a  little  wirey  English- 
man. Among  men  of  letters,  poets  and  philoso- 
phers, Montague,  the  essayist,  was  small;  so  was 
Pope  a  little  crooked  specimen  of  humanity.  Still 
he  immortalized  his  name  by  his  prose  and  verse. 
Dryden  was  small;  and  Scarron,  in  alluding  to  his 
ill-health,  considered  himself  as  a  pocket  edition  of 
humanity.  St.  Paul  says  he  was  less  than  the  least 
of  all  the  saints,  and  yet  not  a  whit  behind  the  best 
of  the  Apostles,  and  now  Dr.  Watts  comes  to  the 
front,  whose  poetry  is  sung  in  every  land  and  upon 
every  sea,  and  in  vindication  of  his  own  person  and 
of  all  other  small  men,  he  announces  the  sentiment 
which  is  now  universally  acknowledged  by  common 
consent,  "Its  the  mind  that  makes  the  man." 

However,  as  time  passed  on,  and  as  I  labored  to 
make  my  calling  and  election  sure,  others  had  a 
better  opinion  of  my  ministry  than  I  had  myself. 
A  few  specimens,  such  as  I  have  clipped  from  per- 
iodicals, must  suffice,  which  have  been  published 
through  sympathy  or  otherwise. 

"Yesterday,  being  the  regular  quarterly  meeting 
day  at  the  Methodist  Church,  Rev.  Mr.  Gavitt,  the 
Presiding  Elder,  delivered  the  morning  sermon. 
You  may  talk  of  your  Beechers,  your  Chapins,  or 
your  Spurgeons,  but  for  a  genuine  appeal  to  the 
heart  and  consciences  of  the  people,  I  never  heard 
anything  to  excel  the  sermon  of  Elder  Gavitt.  You 


EMBARRASSMENTS.  279 

may  think  I  know  nothing  of  these  great  preachers 
but  I  do  know  of  them,  and  I  know  that  Elder 
Gavitt  held  his  large  audience  spell  bound.  Call  it 
an  evidence  of  weakness  or  what  you  may  please, 
but  it  is  no  less  a  fact,  that  at  least  nine-tenths  of 
the  congregation  were  moved  to  tears  more  than  once 
during  his  remarks.  I  am  informed  the  Methodist 
Church  in  this  place  has  110  communicants,  75  of 
whom  communed  yesterday.     V.  V.,  Feb.  1870." 

This  was  from  the  pen  of  a  man  of  no  ordinary 
ability,  a  professional  man  of  many  years  standing, 
not  a  member  of  any  church.  His  wife  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  being  a  lover  of  music, 
he  was  on  this  occasion  assisting  the  choir. 

"Yesterday  was  a  gala  day  for  Methodism  here, 
it  being  the  occasion  of  the  dedication  of  the  M.  E. 
Church,  the  services  being  conducted  by  Rev.  E.  C. 
Gavitt.  The  programme  was  as  follows.  First, 
Lesson  and  hymn,  by  E.  C.  Gavitt.  Second,  Scrip- 
ture lesson,  by  Rev.  H.  A.  Brown,  Third,  Scripture 
lesson,  by  Rev.  H.  Chapman.  The  congregation 
then  joined  in  singing  the  237th  hymn,  and  were  led 
in  prayer  by  Rev.  J.  L.  Scott.  Next  came  the  ser- 
mon by  Rev.  E.  C.  Gavitt,  Isaiah  liii,  11,  "He 
shall  see  of  the  travail  of  his  soul  and  be  satisfied." 
The  sermon  was  one  of  Elder  Gavitt's  happiest  ef- 
forts. It  has  been  my  privilege  to  hear  this  man  of 
God  blow  the    Gospel  trumpet   nearly  a  score  of 


280         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

years  ago,  and  one  would  naturally  suppose  that 
labors  abundant  and  the  lapse  of  time  would  have 
diminished  that  zeal  and  power  of  eloquence  with 
which  he  was  wont,  in  younger  days  to  hold,  his 
audiences  enchanted  in  admiration  and  move  them  to 
tears  or  holy  exultation.  As  he  stood  before  that 
congregation  that  crowded  the  beautiful  temple  to 
overflowing,  and  portrayed  the  triumphs  of  the 
Redeemer's  Kingdom  over  every  opposing  power, 
and  its  universal  glories  reign  through  the  ordinary 
instrumentalities  employed  by  the  Church  until  the 
Heavens  above  us  shall  shrivel  as  a  scroll  and  this 
universe  is  wrapped  in  its  funeral  flames,  I  could 
but  think  he  had  renewed  his  youth  as  the  eagle; 
for  I  could  not  see  that  his  force  had  in  the  least  be- 
come abated.  He  held  his  audience  spell  bound  for 
about  fifty  minutes,  and  I  doubt  wiiether  Beecher, 
or  Spurgeon  even,  would  have  made  a  deeper  im- 
pression, or  succeeded  better  in  getting  into  the 
hearts  or  the  pockets  of  the  people.  When  it  was  an- 
nounced that  there  was  an  indebtedness  of  $310.32 
on  the  Church,  which  it  was  desirable  to  have 
liquidated  before  the  dedicatory  services,  it  was  soon 
obtained,  and  the  Church  freed  from  all  indebted- 
ness. 

"Grapho,  July  20,  1870." 

This  was  from  the  pen  of  as  fine  a  student  and 
preacher  as  there  was  on  the  district,  a  man  of  more 


ELDER  GAVITT.  281 

than  ordinary  advantages.  Previous  to  his  entering 
the  ministry,  he  was  a  school  teacher,  and  the  sur- 
veyor of  the  County  in  which  he  lived;  and  was  no 
aspirant  for  honors  or  position. 

ELDER  GAVITT. 

"  The  address^  of  this  good  and  venerable  man  at 
the  late  celebration  of  the  Pioneers  of  the  Maumee 
Valley  at  Defiance,  abounded  in  instruction,  inter- 
mingled with  the  richest  veins  of  humor.  The 
Elder  has  passed  the  vigor  of  his  life,  which  was 
one  of  great  sacrifice,  among  Ohio  Indians  and  other 
Western  tribes.  He  was  ever  faithful  to  Indian  in- 
terests as  to  their  temporal  and  spiritual  welfare.  He 
has  survived  all  his  coadjutors  of  the  olden  times. 
His  personal  appearance  does  not  indicate  the  num- 
ber of  years  of  the  faithful  toil  of  this  venerable 
man  in  his  missionary  labors.  His  early  ministry 
was  in  the  Northwest  and  in  the  Maumee  Valley. 
Considering  his  age  and  his  slender  personal  appear- 
ance, he  has  but  few  superiors.  His  address  on  this 
occasion  was  so  full  of  wit  and  elocution,  that  the 
large  audience  was  perfectly  delighted,  and  fre- 
quently applauded  him." 

This  compliment  was  from  the  editor  of  a  popu- 
lar paper.  Editors  are  an  independent  class  of  men, 
and  publish  what  they  think  best,  without  fee  or  re- 
quest.    However,  I    am    pleased  to   know   I  have 


282  CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

friends  who  may  appreciate  my  labors  regardless  of 
all  my  imperfections  of  youth  or  riper  years. 

CONCLUSION. 

My  ministry  has  been  a  checkered  one,  made  up 
of  sunshine  and  of  shade.  I  have  had  some  pleas- 
ures, as  well  as  hardships ;  some  honors,  as  well  as 
toil. 

The  early  part  of  my  itineracy  was  on  missions, 
circuits,  and  stations,  amidst  prosperity  and  adver- 
sity. Six  years  of  my  life  were  spent  as  the  agent  of 
the  University  and  Female  College,  at  Delaware; 
thirteen  years  on  Districts  as  Presiding  Elder  and 
a  member  of  the  General  Conference;  four  years  a 
member  of  the  Western  Book  Committee  at  Cin- 
cinnati and  Chicago;  six  years  as  Conference  Agent; 
and  I  am  still  in  the  effective  ministry,  and  have 
been  ever  since  1828.  I  have  preached  over  8,000 
sermons,  and  have  a  large  amount  of  them  on  hand 
written  in  full,  but  have  never  taken  one  of  them 
into  the  pulpit,  or  a  single  line,  unless  it  was  on 
some  special  occasion.  I  have  received  over  ten 
thousand  into  the  Church,  by  letter  and  otherwise; 
have  married  979  couples,  and  have  traveled  on 
horseback  a  sufficient  number  of  miles  to  go  round 
this  world  and  back. 

I  have  had  about  all  the  common  diseases  of  a 
Northern  latitude,  the  cholera  twice,  and  was  given 


CONCLUSION.  283 

up  the  first  time  to  die,  by  the  physician;  and  at 
last  I  wound  up  with  the  small  pox  in  1863.  All 
the  benefit  I  derived  financially  from  this  fearful 
disease,  which  lasted  thirty-six  days,  was  while  at- 
tending my  first  quarterly  meeting  at  Upper  San- 
duskey.  The  conductor  of  the  train  passed  by  be- 
fore I  had  time  to  hand  him  the  fare,  not  admiring 
my  looks  or  giving  me  time  to  explain  the  blue 
spots  upon  my  face,  although  I  had  a  new  suit  of 
clothes,  a  new  skin,  and  new  nails  coming  out  on 
my  hands  and  feet,  but  not  hair  enough  on  the  top 
of  my  cranium  to  have  given  him  a  single  lock  as  a 
memento  of  my  health  and  prosperity.  As  fearful  as 
this  misfortune  appeared  at  first,  the  disease  proved 
a  great  temporal  blessing  to  me  as  a  quietus  to 
all  other  diseases,  and  the  building  up  of  a  new  sys- 
tem; and  to-day  I  have  better  health  in  every  re- 
spect than  in  former  years.  I  can  appreciate  the 
feelings  of  Job  under  the  like  trial,  and  with  him 
can  say,  my  last  days  have  been  more  prosperous 
than  the  first.  There  is  but  one  distinction  between 
his  case  and  myself,  and  that  is  in  regard  to  his 
wife.  It  must  have  been  very  trying  to  his  feelings 
when  she  desired  him  to  curse  God  and  die,  hoping 
she  might  better  her  condition  in  her  second  mar- 
riage. 

During  my  ministry  I  have  given  to  the  Church 
of  mv  choice  over  $5,000  in  various  wavs.     I  have 


284         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

helped  all  my  children,  and  still  hope  in  the  Provi- 
dence of  a  kind  God,  I  have  enough  left  to  take 
me  through  the  remainder  of  my  days.  And  now 
as  my  itineracy  has  wound  up  and  my  Conference 
labors  are  about  closed,  in  looking  back  upon  the 
past,  had  I  my  life  to  live  over,  I  cannot  see  where  I 
could  have  improved  it.  I  have  maintained  my 
Christian  standing  in  the  Church  ever  since  I  was  a 
child;  I  have  never  brought  a  reproach  on  any  Con- 
ference to  which  I  have  belonged,  and  never  was  my 
Conference  relation  arrested  but  once,  and  that  was 
on  account  of  my  fashionable  dress.  Promising  to 
appear  the  next  year  with  a  round  breasted  coat,  ac- 
cording to  the  requirements  of  the  Conference,  my 
character  passed  and  I  was  ordained.  I  appeared 
the  next  year  with  my  round-breasted  coat,  but  be- 
ing small  of  my  age  and  my  coat  being  short  at 
both  ends,  and  being  a  little  too  much  of  a  good 
thing,  I  was  excused  from  wearing  it;  and  at  this 
Conference  all  law  on  the  subject  of  ministerial  dr  ess 
was  rescinded,  and  ever  since  Methodist  Ministers 
have  had  the  privilege  of  wearing  coats  and  hats  to 
suit  themselves.  But  they  are  still  somewhat  in- 
debted to  me  and  my  round  breasted  coat,  made  by 
Father  Koadabaugh,  of  North  Amherst,  Ohio,  which 
cost  me  just  two  dollars. 

Since   my    connection    with    Conference  I   have 
never  refused  to  go  to  my  appointments  but  once; 


CONCLUSION.  285 

and  that  was  at  the  Findlay  Conference  in  1849.  I 
had  traveled  two  years  on  the  Chesterville  Circuit, 
and  had  the  promise  from  my  Presiding  Elder  of 
going  upon  the  Frederick  work,  which  would  have 
been  a  short  move.  When  my  appointment  was 
read  out,  I  was  assigned  to  Nashville,  Holmes  Co., 
Ohio.  On  my  way  home,  I  had  about  made  up  my 
mind  to  quit  the  itineracy,  and  seek  a  place  some- 
where else.  When  I  arrived  at  home,  my  wife,  who 
was  standing  at  the  door,  said  to  me: 

"  And  where  do  we  go  this  year?" 

"  I  propose  to  remain  a  while  where  we  are,"  said  I. 

"Wouldn't  the  Bishop  give  you  any  appoint- 
ment % "  she  asked. 

"  Not  much  of  a  one." 

"  Where  can  it  be.  Have  they  sent  you  as  a  mis- 
sionary to  China  ? " 

"  Not  quite,  but  the  next  thing  to  that.  " 

"  Do  tell  me  where  it  is  ? " 

"  It  is  on  the  Nashville  Circuit,  away  up  in 
Holmes  County.  " 

"Why  do  you  refuse  to  go  there;  are  there  no 
sinners  in  that  County  that  should  be  saved  ?  " 

"  I  am  tired  of  this  moving,  and  long  for  rest.  " 

"  When  I  married  you,  "  she  said,  "  I  knew  what 
I  was  doing.  I  was  marrying  a  Methodist  minister 
who  had  promised  to  go  where  he  was  sent,  and  if 
you  will  not  go  to  that  charge,  I  will.     And  if  they 


286         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

will  receive  me,  I  will  preach  for  them  this  year." 

"  Well,  if  you  are  determined  to  do  so,  then," 
said  I,  "  you  will  have  to  help  yourself.  I  am  tired 
of  this  packing  up  and  moving.  " 

She  went  across  the  road  and  hired  Brother  Shaf- 
fer, who  had  a  six  horse  team  and  a  large  Pennsyl- 
vania wagon  in  which  he  used  to  haul  goods  over 
the  mountains.  Putting  all  on  board,  wife  and 
children  in  front,  and  tying  the  old  cow  behind  with 
a  long  rope  to  lead,  they  now  set  out  for   Nashville. 

As  they  were  ascending  the  hill,  I  mounted  my 
horse  and  halloed,  "  hold  on;  I  say,  hold  on ;  and  I 
will  go  too.  "  Like  the  case  of  Joseph,  if  the  Eider 
intended  it  for  evil,  the  Lord  meant  it  for  good;  as 
this  proved  to  be  one  among  the  most  successful 
years  of  my  ministry,  and  prepared  the  way  next 
year  for  my  agency,  and  the  education  of  my  child- 
ren at  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  Unive  rsity  and  the 
Female  College  at  Delaware. 

I  am  now  inclined  to  believe,  and  have  been  ever 
since,  that  the  Lord  has  more  to  do  in  making  out 
the  appointments  in  the  Cabinet  than  the  ministers 
at  this  present  day  are  disposed  to  give  him  credit 
for. 

Often  have  I  seen  that  precious  wife,  so  faithful 
and  true  to  the  Church,  while  in  the  far  West  chased 
by  Indians,  as  she  would  go  out  along  the  bluffs 
to  gather  the  small  wild  fruit  to  supply  our  scanty 


CONCLUSION.  287 

wants,  and  once  by  the  wolves,  until  she  fainted  in 
my  arms.  And  yet  during  her  last  sickness,  she 
said  to  her  pastor,  who  was  speaking  of  the  labors 
and  hardships  of  the  itineracy,  "With  all  the 
trials  and  deprivations  connected  with  the  ministry, 
I  would  prefer  my  sons  being  Methodist  ministers, 
than  Presidents  of  the  United  States.  Then  I 
should  have  some  hopes  of  meeting  them  in 
Heaven."  Thanks  be  to  Brothers  Waters,  Belt  and 
Wallace,  for  the  encouragement  given  to  Halsey,  my 
son,  to  abandon  his  profession  and  at  once  yield  to 
his  convictions  of  duty  and  enter  the  ministry.  And 
when  my  head  lies  low  in  death,  may  he  fill  my 
place,  and  be  as  true  to  God  and  the  interests  of  the 
Church  as  I  have  been  in  the  past. 

And  now  permit  me  to  say  a  few  words  to  my 
brethren  in  the  Conference  and  I  will  close: 

It  will  not  be  long  before  the  older  members  of 
this  Conference  will  have  passed  away,  as  our 
Brother  Gurley  and  others  have  who  were  with  us 
in  the  past.  I  am  glad  that  God  in  his  Providence 
has  raised  up  such  a  noble  class  of  young  men  to 
to  take  our  places.  Do  not  forget  your  high  and 
holy  calling,  and,  as  the  Apostle  has  said,  "Take 
heed  therefore,  unto  yourselves,  and  all  the  flock 
over  which  the  Holy  Ghost  has  made  you  the  over- 
seers, to  feed  the  Church  of  God,  Avhich  he  has  pur- 
chased  with  his  own  blood. " 


288         CRUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

A  minister  occupies  one  of  the  highest,  and  one 
among  the  most  responsible  positions  which  God  in 
his  Providence  has  seen  fit  to  vouchsafe  to  man.  He 
occupies  not  the  place  of  the  orator,  philosopher,  or 
the  statesman.  He  comes  commissioned  from  the 
throne  of  God,  on  the  errand  of  mercy,  as  an  am- 
bassador for  Jesus  Christ,  beseeching  the  sinner  in 
Christ's  stead  to  become  reconciled  to  God.  What 
then,  can  the  most  skillful  actor  gain.  He  may 
allure  the  gay  and  thoughtless  to  the  house  of  mirth. 
The  lawyer  may  have  gained  the  cause  of  his  client; 
he  may  have  saved  a  fortune  or  extended  human 
life.  The  statesman,  with  his  powers  of  elocution 
may  hold  the  listening  thousands  in  death-like 
silence,  while  he  speaks  of  the  rights  and  the  privi- 
leges of  his  country ;  but  the  most  that  can  be  said 
is  that  upon  him  depends,  in  some  measure, 
our  moral,  civil,  and  religious  institutions.  But,  Oh, 
how  much  more  important  is  the  work  of  the  minis- 
try. The  preacher  pleads  not  for  a  fortune.  It  is 
not  the  temporal  destinies  of  a  Nation  that  are  sus- 
pended upon  the  powers  of  his  mind.  He  pleads 
for  souls;  souls  that  are  of  more  value  than  ten 
thousand  worlds  like  this;  souls  for  whom  Christ 
has  died,  and  upon  his  ministry  their  future,  and 
their  eternal  destiny,  in  a  great  measure  depend. 

Never  was  there  a  day  since  the  commencement 
of  my  ministry,  when  infidelity  and  skepticism  of 


CONCLUSION.  289 

all  shapes  and  of  all  kinds,  has  made  a  bolder  at- 
tack upon  the  Church  of  Christ  than  at  the  present. 
But  thanks  be  to  God,  Christianity  still  lives,  and  is 
destined  to  live,~and  will  reign  and  triumph  until 
the  kingdom  of  this  world  shall  become  the  king- 
doms of  our  God  and  his  Christ. 

The  Sun  of  righteousness  is  not  to  rise  upon  a  few 
Nations  only,  but  to  spread  his  brilliancy  over  all 
the  earth.  The  demons  of  superstition  shall  sink 
into  darkness  of  despair,  while  the  Valley  of  the 
Shadow  of  Death  shall  be  illuminated  with  the 
luster  of  immortality;  ignorance  shall  be  exchanged 
for  information,  and  a  great  number  shall  join  in 
the  song  of  praise,  for  the  arm  of  the  Lord  shall  be 
made  bare,  and  all  the  ends  of  earth  are  to  see  the 
salvation  of  our  God. 

Let  me  ask  what  has  done  the  one  hundredth 
part  that  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  has  done  dur- 
ing the  last  half  century, in  ameliorating  the  condition 
of  the  Jews,  in  abolishing  the  slave  trade,  and  re- 
storing to  injured  Africa  the  rights  of  man,  in  en- 
lightening the  ignorant,  liberating  the  captive,  re- 
forming the  disobedient  and  in  bringing  salvation 
to  the  believer  ?  Christianity,  taking  the  command 
of  God  for  her  warrant,  rises  like  the  morning  sun 
in  his  glory,  and  has  sent  forth  her  healing  streams 
to  the  most  remote  corners  of  the  earth.  She  has 
sent  her  bible,  tract,  missionary,  Sabbath  schools, 
19 


290         CKUMBS  FROM  MY  SADDLE  BAGS. 

temperance  societies,  and  spread  the  bread  and  the 
water  of  life  over  all  lands.  She  has  sent  her  mes- 
sengers of  mercy  to  the  long  neglected  heathen, 
and  has  accompained  them  with  her  prayers  and 
with  her  tears.  She  has  kindled  a  fire  in  the  cot- 
tage of  the  poor,  and  has  spread  her  blanket  and  her 
mantle  over  their  shivering  limbs,  by  day  and  by 
night.  She  has  given  her  sons  to  the  sword  and  her 
daughters  to  the  flames,  that  her  enemies  might  be 
convinced  as  to  the  truth  of  her  love.  And  thank 
God,  her  divine  author  has  tasted  death  for  every 
man. 

Christianity  has  borne  every  test  that  Satanic 
malevolence  or  human  depravity  could  invent 
against  it.  Infidelity  and  Atheism  have  said,  "away 
with  your  ministry,  down  with  your  Churches,  and 
burn  your  Bibles,  and  let  this  world  be  governed  by 
reason  and  philosophy."  Who  has  ever  seen  the 
"grand  and  noble  triumphs  of  philosophy?"  We 
have  seen  and  heard  of  the  triumphs  of  Christ- 
ianity. But  what  great  moral  reform  has  ever  been 
accomplished  by  philosophy?  What  shore  has  she 
ever  visited?  What  dim  eye  has  she  ever  brightened, 
or  what  idol  has  she  ever  dashed  from  its  pedestal, 
or  what  funeral  pyre  has  she  ever  extinguished?  No, 
it  is  not  philosophy  that  is  to  reform  this  world.  It 
is  Christianity  and  the  preaching  of  the  gospel.  And 
what  has  infidelity  or  Atheism  ever  done  to  amelio- 


CONCLUSION.  291 

rate  the  condition  of  society?  What  has  it  ever 
done  to  soften  the  dying  couch,  or  to  illume  the 
pathway  to  the  grave?  Not  anything.  It  closes  up 
every  avenue  to  immortality  or  eternal  life,  and  in- 
scribes upon  the  tomb,  Death  is  an  eternal  sleep. 
But  thanks  be  to  God,  Christianity  still  lives,  and 
furnishes  to  the  dying  saint  a  hope  of  heaven,  and 
a  life  of  immortality  beyond  the  grave. 

We  can  say  in  the  language  of  God's  holy  word 
the  more  they  have  strove  against  it  the  more  it  has 
multiplied  and  grown.  The  little  leaven  is  fast 
leavening  the  whole  lump,  and  that  stone  which 
was  cut  out  of  the  mountain  without  hands  is  fast 
filling  the  whole  world,  and  while  we  acknowledge 
God's  word  as  the  inspired  Oracles,  let  us  say  in  the 
fullness  of  our  hearts,  roll  on,  roll  on,  O,  thou  Im- 
mortal God.  roll  on  the  victories  of  thy  Cross  until 
Etheopia  shall  stretch  out  her  hands  to  God,  and  the 
islands  of  the  sea  shall  clap  their  hands  and  rejoice 
together. 

Waft,  waft  ye  winds  the  story, 
And  you  ye  waters  roll. 
Till  like  a  sea  of  glory, 
It  spreads  from  pole  to  pole. 


SUPPLEMENT. 

Ministers  now  living  who  helped  to  constitute  the 
Delaware  Conference,  at  Lima,  Ohio,  in  1856,  Bishop 
Waugh  presiding,  and  William  L.  Harris,  Secretary : 

Delaware  District— Henry  E.  Pilcher,  Alexander  Nelson, 
Amos  Wilson,  Stephen  Fant,  Lemuel  Herbert,  James  A.  Kel- 
lam,  Benjamin  Herbert,  Richard  Lawrence,  Aaron  J.  Lyon, 
Joseph  Good,  Joshua  M.  Longfellow,  William  L.  Harris,  Wil- 
liam G.  Williams,  Samuel  Lynch. 

Sidney  District— Simeon  H.  Alderman,  Oliver  Kenedy, 
Loring  C.  Webster,  Andrew  J.  Frisby,  Reuben  D.  Oldfield, 
Stephen  D.  Shaffer,  John  Bower,  David  Bull,  Samuel  M.  Allen, 
James  W.  Fribley,  William  S.  Lewis,  Moses  B.  Hibbert,  N.  B. 
C.  Love. 

Lima  District— Elnathan  C.  Gavitt,  Joseph  Wykes,  John 
K.  Ford,  Isaac  Newton,  John  Graham,  Jason  Wilcox,  William 
W.  Winter,  Samuel  Boggs,  Harrison  Maltbie,  Enoch  G.  Longs- 
worth. 

Findlay  District — Wesley  J.  Wells,  Gershora  Lease,  Jacob 
Fegtley,  Thomas  J.  Monnett,  Charles  G.  Ferris,  John  A.  Shan- 
non, William  H.  Taylor,  Benjamin  B.  Powell,  Charles  W. 
Ketcham,  Francis  Plumb,  Lorenzo  D.  Rogers. 

Toledo  District—David  Gray,  Joseph  Ayers,  George  W. 
Collier,  Henry  Warner,  Martin  Perky,  Samuel  S.  Roberts,  Am- 
brose Hollington. 

Transferred  from  the  Delaware  Conference  to  the  North 
Ohio  Conference  in  1856 — Lewis  M.  Pounds,  Uriah  Richards. 
John  W.  Thompson,  Thompson  F.  Hildreth,  William  Gardner, 
Oliver  Webster,  Samuel  Mower,  Lorenzo  Warner. 
(292) 


SUPPLEMENT.  293 

Mansfield  French, transferred  to  the  Cincinnati  Conference. 
John  H.  Powers,  transferred  to  the  Iowa  Conference. 

In  1860  the  name  of  Delaware  was  changed  to 
that  of  Central  Ohio  Conference.  Since  1860  the 
Conference  has  increased  in  membership.  The  mor- 
tality has  been  large  and  seriously  felt,  but  with  all 
there  is  at  this  time  a  membership  of  180,  most  of 
whom  are  young  men  of  promise  ;  and  the  Central 
Ohio  Conference  has  a  very  fair  sprinkling  of  Doctors 
of  Divinity,  and  others  waiting  their  turn.  And 
may  a  kind  Providence  continue  to  smile  upon  the 
ministry  and  membership  of  this  Conference,  and  its 
future  prosperity  be  as  in  the  past  and  much  more 
abundant. 

Honored  dead  of  the  Delaware  and  now  Central  Ohio  Con- 
ference, with  a  few  others  of  the  North  Ohio  Conference. 
Names  of  the  dead,  when  they  died  and  where  buried: 

Rev.  Josiah  Adams,  October  14,  1866,  Edgerton,  Ohio;  Rev. 
Horatio  S.  Bradley,  February  2,  1881,  Springfield,  Ohio;  Rev. 
William  Boggs,  June  7,  1869,  Cardington,  Ohio;  Rev.  William 
A.  Baker,  August  25,  1862,  Lima,  Ohio;  Rev.  JohnBrice,  April 
2,  1857,  Van  Wert,  Ohio;  Rev.  George  W.  Breckeni-idge,  Feb- 
ruary 26,  1869,  Norwalk,  Ohio;  Rev.  Richard  Biggs,  July  18, 
1880,  Findlay,  Ohio;  Rev.  Jacob  A.  Brown,  January  26,  1879, 
Delaware,  Ohio;  Rev.  Thomas  Barkdull,  January  4,  1869, 
Shelby,  Ohio;  Rev.  Jacob  T.  Caples,  July  25,  1860,  Fostoria, 
Ohio;  Rev.  Henry  M.  Close,  April  25,  1881,  Pioneer,  Ohio;  Rev. 
Lemon  T.  Clarke,  December  1,  1878,  Mercer,  Ohio;  Rev.  Har- 
vey Camp,  August  28,  1882,  Brooklyn,  New  York;  Rev.  Abel 
M.  Corey,  October  4,  1875,  Fostoria,  Ohio;  Rev.  Alexander 
Cook,  January  11,  1870,  Cuyahoga  Falls,  Ohio;  Rev.  Park  S. 


294  SUPPLEMENT. 

Donelson,  May  6,  1882,  Dexter,  Michigan;  Rev.  William  B. 
Disbro,  September  26,  1865,  Berea,  Ohio;  Rev.  Derrick  P.  Dar- 
ling, August  10,  1860,  Shawnee,  Ohio;  Rev.  Elam  Day,  Febru- 
ary 26,  1864,  Pendleton.  Ohio;  Rev.  James  S.  DeLeal,  March 
24.  1872,  Kingsley  Chapel,  Ohio;  Rev.  Leonard  B.  Gurley,  March 
26,  1880,  Delaware,  Ohio;  Rev.  Patrick  G.  Goode,  October  7, 
1862,  Sidney,  Ohio;  Rev.  George  P.  Grayham,  August  3,  1876, 
Berea,  Ohio:  Rev.  Jacob  M.  Holmes,  September  23,  1879,  In- 
dianolia,  Iowa;  Rev.  Noah  Hough,  February  19,  1874,  Marys- 
.ville,  Ohio;  Rev.  Leonard  Hill,  April  13,  1869,  Fremont,  Ohio; 
Rev.  Felding  L.  Harper,  January  22,  1866,  Bowling  Green, 
Ohio:  Rev.  John  S.  Kalb,  November  17,  1879,  Radnor,  Ohio; 
Rev.  William  S.  Lunt,  April  24,  1879,  Fostoria  Ohio;  Rev.  Ebe- 
nezer  Lindsley,  September  4.  1857,  Napoleon,  Ohio;  Rev.  James 
M.  Morrow,  February  12,  1864,  Dayton,  Ohio;  Rev.  Franklin 
Merriott,  May  3,  1883,  Toledo,  Ohio;  Rev.  George  W.  Miller, 
August  10,  1872,  Pioneer,  Ohio;  Rev.  David  W.  Ocker,  July  21, 
1855,  unknown;  Rev.  William  J.  Peck,  March  29,  1866,  Kenton, 
Ohio;  Rev.  John  N.  Priddy,  April  25,  1861,  Van  Wert,  Ohio; 
Rev.  Thomas  Parker,  February  12,  1864,  Marion,  Ohio;  Rev. 
Abraham  B.  Poe,  May  11,  1865,  Fostoria,  Ohio;  Rev.  Valorous 
Pond,  April  23,  1883,  Bateman,  Ohio;  Rev,  John  H.  Power, 
January  26,  1873,  Burlington,  Iowa;  Rev.  DuglasD.  G.  Reagh, 
February  2,  1875,  Huntsville,  Ohio;  Rev.  Elnathan  Rayman, 
July  21,  1874,  Mount  Vernon,  Ohio;  Rev.  Henry  O.  Sheldon, 
December  31,  1882,  Berea,  Ohio;  Rev.  Hiram  M.  Shaffer,  De- 
cember 29,  1871,  Delaware,  Ohio;  Rev.  Aaron  J.  Stubbs,  June 
14,  1865,  Dayton,  Ohio;  Rev.  Henry  L.  Spindler,  October  6, 
1878,  Hicksville,  Ohio;  Rev,  John  Sterling,  April  2, 1863,  Plum 
Run,  Ohio;  Rev.  William  B.  Scannell,  April  11,  1856,  Napoleon, 
Ohio;  Rev.  Thomas  Thompson,  March  14,  1884,  Republic,  Ohio; 
Rev.  Barton  A.  W.ebster,  August  22,  1866;  Van  Wert,  Ohio; 
Rev.  Lorenzo  Warner,  April  12,  1876,  Delaware,  Ohio;  Rev. 
Edward  Williams,  August  10,  1882,  Lima,  Ohio;  Rev.  Thomas 


SUPPLEMENT.  295 

H.  Wilson,  March  26,  1883,  Kenton,  Ohio;  Rev.  Philip  Ware- 
ham,  February  15,  1883,  Plymouth,  Indiana. 


Honored  dead  ministers'  wives,  members  of  the  Delaware 
and  now  Central  Ohio  Conference,  with  a  few  others  of  pre- 
cious memory  of  the  North  Ohio  Conference.  Their  names, 
when  they  died  and  where  they  are  buried : 

Florence,  wife  of  Rev.  Edward  A.  Berry,  July  3,  1876,  Lima, 
Ohio;  Paulina,  wife  of  Rev.  Jesse  Carr,  August  13,  1881,  Fay- 
ette, Ohio;  Leonoria  O,  wife  of  Rev.  Daniel  Carter,  November 
26,  1880,  Oakdale,  Ohio;  Jane  W.,  wife  of  Rev.  Ira  Chase,  De- 
cember 13,  1882,  Delaware,  Ohio;  Mary  J.,  wife  of  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Deal,  April  30,  1880,  Elida,  Ohio;  Jane  L.,  wife  of  Rev. 
James  DeLeal,  September  11,  1881,  Kingsley,  Ohio;  Sophia  J., 
wife  of  Rev.  Elnathan  C.  Gavitt,  May  9,  1869,  Delaware,  Ohio; 
Neoma  H.,  wife  of  Rev.  David  Gray,  April  3,  1876,  Findlay, 
Ohio;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Rev.  John  S.  Kalb,  August  26,  1882, 
Radnor,  Ohio;  Catherine,  wife  of  Rev.  James  Long,  November 
5,  1874,  Weston,  Ohio;  Olive  A.,  wife  of  Rev.  Aaron  J.  Lyon, 
May  9,  1877,  Cardington,  Ohio;  Emma  M.,  wife  of  Rev.  Oscar 
E.  Moore,  November  30,  1874,  Whorton,  Ohio;  Emily  J.,  wife 
of  Rev.  Harrison  Maltbie,  January  18,  1880,  Lima,  Ohio;  Mary 
A.,  wife  of  Rev.  John  Omeroad,  March  18,  1874,  Mt.  Hermon, 
Ohio;  Emma  O.,  wife  of  Rev.  Voloras  Pond,  April  5,  1875, 
Bateman,  Ohio;  Frances  H.,  wife  of  Rev.  Parker  P.  Pope, 
April  8,  1880,  Findlay,  Ohio;  M.  L.,  wife  of  Rev.  Grenbery  H. 
Priddy,  November  8,  1874,  Van  Wert,  Ohio;  Elizzia,  wife  of 
Rev.  John  Parlette,  February  7,  1879,  Bellemore,  Ohio;  Mary 
B.,  wife  of  Rev.  Thomas  J.  Pope,  August  13,  1874,  West  Bed- 
ford, Ohio;  Ella,  wife  of  Rev.  Thaddeus  C.  Read,  September 
24,  1874,  Delaware,  Ohio;  Henrietta,  wife  of  Rev.  Janes  S.  G. 
Reeder,  July  19,  1878,  Rock  Port,  Ohio;  Margarette  B.,  wife  of 
Rev.  Hiram  M.  Shaffer,  September  5,  1861,  Delaware,  Ohio; 


296  SUPPLEMENT. 

Belle  F,  wife  of  Rev.  William  R.  Seaman,  June  27,  1882,  Pat- 
terson, Ohio;  Sarah  W.,  wife  of  Rev.  Tracey  L.  Waite,  March 
8,  1884,  Berea,  Ohio;  Mary  A.,  wife  of  Prof.  "William  G. 
Williams,  February  5  1872,  Delaware,  Ohio;  Sarah,  wife  of 
Rev.  Thomas  H.  Wilson,  August  26  1877,  Kenton,  Ohio;  Polly 
A.,  wife  of  Rev.  Henry  E.  Pilcher,  February  10,  1860,  Dela- 
ware, Ohio;  Mariah  L.  and  Annie,  the  wives  of  our  honored 
Bishop,  Edward  Thomson,  D.  D.,  LL.D.,  now  deceased — Ma- 
riah died  December  21,  1865;  Annie,  July  28,  1877.  The  Bishop 
and  his  two  companions  were  buried  in  Delaware,  Ohio. 


OTHER  ITEMS  OF  INTEREST. 

WITH    HONORED    RESPECT. 

Mr.  Clayton  W.  Everett,  Esq.,  of  Toledo,  Ohio,  in- 
forms me  that  his  grandfather,  Mr.  Samuel  Everett, 
was  one  of  the  company  who  assisted  in  surveying 
the  original  tract  of  land  purchased  by  the  Licking 
Company  in  1804,  on  which  the  town  of  Granville,  in 
Licking  county,  Ohio,  is  located,  and  this  was  the 
place  of  his  nativity  and  early  associations. 

EARLY    EVENT. 

The  first  white  child  baptized  in  Northwestern 
Ohio  was  by  the  author  at  a  camp-meeting  held  on 
the  island  between  Maumee  City  and  Waterville, 
and  was  the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas 
Gleason:  and  Miss  Elizabeth  Gleason  is  now  the 
wife  of  Hon.  G.  Zigler,  of  Fremont,  Ohio. 

LAKESIDE. 

This  beautiful  location  on  the  margin  of  Lake 
Erie  was  established  by  the  author  in  company  with 
a  well-known  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  who  purchased  the  site. 

It  matters  not  how  many  have  since  contributed 

to  the  success  of  this  summer  resort  for  social  and 

(297) 


29S  LAKESIDE. 

religious  purposes.  It  is  said  that  Solomon  built  the 
Temple  :  but  he  never  done  the  work.  And  if  there 
is  any  credit  or  merit  in  this  noble  enterprise  it  be- 
longs to  E.  C.  Gavitt  and  the  honorable  patriarch  of 
Marble  Head,  Father  Clement,  regardless  of  the 
honest  opinion  of  others  notwithstanding,  and  this 
consecrated  field  of  the  woods,  adorned  and  beautified 
by  skillful  hands  and  made  vocal  by  the  songs  of 
praise  and  the  shouts  of  the  redeemed,  was  once 
the  happy  home  and  hunting  ground  of  the  Delaware 
Indians.  So  stated  by  Mr.  Winslow  in  his  Church 
history,  speaking  of  this  peninsula  and  the  Mora  vian 
missionaries  and  their  work  among  the  North  Amer- 
ican Indians. 


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